


Destiny Chosen

by Sagittarian_Solstice



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fellswap (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Broken Bones, Dungeons and Dragons, F/M, Hiking, Journey, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader has female bits, Reader is rich kid, Reader-Insert, Sans is a GM/DM, appalachian trail, if you kids are good, in this bitch, maybe more universes in the future, new, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:54:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29214474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagittarian_Solstice/pseuds/Sagittarian_Solstice
Summary: You're hiking on the Appalachian Trail. It's your last trip before you have to give up your freedom for the sake of your family and their debts. But a fall, not down a hole but, down the side of a mountain, some skeletons help you out. Now you owe them a life debt, but hopefully what they ask for won't conflict with your duties to your family.
Relationships: Papyrus(Fellswap)/Reader, Papyrus(Underfell)/Reader, Papyrus(Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus/ Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader, Sans(Fellswap)/Reader, Sans(Underfell)/Reader, Sans(Underswap)/Reader
Comments: 15
Kudos: 90





	1. To Your Health

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Six Skeletons, One Maid](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7124200) by [RaccoonSinQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaccoonSinQueen/pseuds/RaccoonSinQueen). 
  * Inspired by [Six Skeletons in Your Closet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10453650) by [MsMK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMK/pseuds/MsMK). 
  * Inspired by [Skeleton Squatters and the Landlady](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9816140) by [Tyrant_Tortoise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyrant_Tortoise/pseuds/Tyrant_Tortoise). 



> I'm back you guys! Dudes and Dudettes, I have been getting my ass kicked since the beginning of 2019 and it has only just now let up. Honestly, I doubt I'm going to continue Move Up Sly Fox since the headspace for writing that had been completely removed, however, if someone else would rather take the reigns on it, go ahead. But I think I'm back for awhile, now that my mind can't bully me so much now. ^_^ Happy to see you all again!
> 
> Please let me know if I missed anything in the edits. Can't wait to hear from you guys soon!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theme Song:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rszEi81v6Ts

One of the things that you enjoyed best about travel was the freedom that it allowed you from your usually structured life. It was early morning. Dawn had not yet broken. The air was cool and carried with it the scent of something floral and sweet. When you were here, high above the rest of the world, you could temporarily forget your future. 

The sun had finally breached the cloud tops and the morning light was bright, you stopped walking and took a short break for breakfast.You made yourself comfortable on a rock that overlooked a cliff and rummaged through your rucksack.  _ Where are they..? I know they’re in here somewhere. _ With a quiet ‘a-ha!’ you pulled out two protein bars. The honey and oats kind..ya know, the good ones. The wind blew around you as you ate, the crunching of your breakfast loud in your ears. When your bars were gone, you pulled up the small hose attached to your camelbak, taking a long pull of water. Whoever invented a small backpack just for water was amazing. It easily held three liters of the liquid gold! And while it was heavy, your body had grown strong since you started this hike a few months ago.

For your last trip, you had picked the one that would give you the most time to yourself. You didn’t really want to be around people. Not because you didn’t like them, oh no, you loved most people. Some of your best friends were people. No, you wanted your time alone because you wouldn’t get any after this. 

Everyone always wants to live a life of wealth. They think that they’d have the same freedom that they do when they don’t have money, but that’s not always true. You were born into more wealth than you’d be able to spend during your entire lifetime. The extent of your funds? Well, you know that America is in debt, right? You ever think about who they’re in debt to? That’s right; your family. Your family basically controls the country through the greed of corrupt politicians. The President? Just a figurehead. He has no real power. Whatever your family wants, they get. There are a few of them though, a very tiny amount of politicians, who refuse the money that gets waved at them. Your parents find them annoying and try to get rid of them. You find them awe-inspiring, secretly pleased that their character is strong enough to resist temptation. 

But soon, that’s going to change. There is one family that has a debt over yours, but not for much longer. You’re not entirely sure what they did to earn a favor from your family. Something to do with your father at the very least. Well, that’s what you were allowed to know. But apparently, their family is going bankrupt for some reason or another. You suspect bad money management. Rumor has it that one of their sons has a gambling problem, but you don’t understand how that would bankrupt the entire family. All you know is that in order to help them, the easiest way to transfer enough money to the family to avoid paying exorbitant taxes is to marry you to their eldest son. 

That’s why you were out in the world, one last time. Once the marriage went through, you’d be living on their land, following your husband around -- the way you had been trained to do. Yeah, you know those silly ‘princess lessons’ that little kids watch in their Disney movies? Those are real, and not nearly as glamorous as fiction portrays them to be.

You had given your word to your mother and father that you would do what was needed to help with the family affairs. Even though you loathed the idea of shackling yourself to another, the freedom the world has to offer is your greatest love, you are nothing if not a woman of your word. You keep your promises, it’s what makes you, well,  _ you. _

You shake the backstory from your mind. The point of coming out here was to temporarily forget your heritage. To live as you pleased, reveling in the peace that the lack of society has to offer. 

Making sure your bag is zipped up, you stand and resume your hike along the mountain trails. You are currently on the Appalachian Trail. The big ole’ stretch of land that stretches from Maine to Georgia. It usually takes people five to seven months to complete it; you think that you’re somewhere around your third month. It’s hard to keep track of the days when you’re out on your own. They tend to meld together after the first couple weeks. What point is there in knowing what day or time it is? It isn’t like you need that information when you’re out in the middle of nowhere. 

However, you are running low on provisions and are going to need to stop by a town of some sort. You don’t really like going down the mountains but it’s a necessary evil at this point. The people are usually nice enough, but your training makes it awkward to just be around normal people. It feels hard to be enough like them so that you don’t draw too much attention to yourself. You find yourself alternating between being too formal or too much like a vagabond. And you don’t know yourself well enough to act like yourself. 

Well, you’ve still got three days worth of food in your rucksack. You’re sure that you’ll find a small goods store somewhere, and probably soon. Before you left, you studied up on the trail map as much as you could, taking note of the small river marked on it. Most of the resources that you had found had mentioned there was a town almost every two or three days. It had already been two days since you had seen the last sign for some small place at the base of the mountain. Yeah, it would be in no time that you could stock up on your supplies. 

Resolving to stop at the next town, you walk with a spring in your step. It was a gorgeous summer morning, but the coolness of earlier had definitely vanished. It was now getting warm. Almost uncomfortably so. And with the heat, the shade in which you try to stay under becomes a trap of sorts. The leaves that make up the canopy above you provide comfort to the swarm of mosquitoes that are currently pestering you. Early on in the trip, you had found that when you’re the only thing in the woods, bug spray does next to nothing to keep the little bugs from biting you. It didn’t stop you from attempting to slap every single fucking one that landed on you. If you weren’t mistaken, which you probably were, your kill count was up in the thousands at this point. 

Needless to say though, most of them were getting a good meal from you and the itching that follows their bites had long since become a constant in your day-to-day. You could always find a creek to jump in though. They would still hang around, but if you could submerge parts of you, then they wouldn’t be able to bite you. The ever increasing heat was really making that a tempting idea. One that you found yourself sucked into without putting up too much of a fight. You would follow the river until almost nightfall, set up camp, and then make your way to town. Yeah, that’s a wonderful idea. 

With a content smile making its way across your face, you sped up your pace. You could hear the sound of rushing water somewhere close by. But until the reflection of the sun reaches your eyes, you could never be exactly sure where it is. At least the sound of moving water was getting louder. Only after a few more minutes of walking, you saw the light on the water, small flashes of blinding sparkles. Grinning, you confidently stepped through the treeline, your eyes scouring along the leaf litter for snakes. You had already had a few close calls. Some of them were really hard to see. But after a quick look, you deem the area safe and step forwards onto the rocks that make up the river’s bank. 

The river was moving faster towards the middle which caused white water. The current pushes past the rocks at a fast pace. But near the edges, the water is slow and calm. Maybe you should cool your feet…

You make up your mind pretty quickly. Your rucksack is put down on a dry rock and you dig through it, looking for your water shoes. It isn’t the fastest way to go; that would be hiking the trail that you left behind. But with the shoes now protecting your feet, you pack up your boots and socks. 

The water is cold as it covers your ankles, but in comparison to the heat that’s set in, it’s Heaven. You make sure your bag is settled securely against your back before you walk off. With the water pushing against the back of your legs, you’re already off balance. Falling and getting yourself injured would not be a good ending to your hike. 

But it’s like this that you travel until the sun is low in the sky, stopping only long enough for you to eat a small lunch and rest your feet. You maybe have an hour at most before nightfall. Stepping out of the water, your feet relish the chance to breathe. They had pruned up ages ago, and if not for your water shoes, the rocks would have sliced them open. 

Your tent was tied to the bottom portion of your pack, a rolled up sleeping bag hanging next to it. With expert hands, you quickly pitched it. It was small, but for the meantime it was your home. Not that you minded. One would think with how you were raised that being out like this without any of life’s luxuries would be torture for you. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. With a happy grin, you unroll your sleeping bag inside your tent. Supper is an MRE. 

Apparently, the American military usually eats it. They’ve got different flavors, but for some reason it all tastes the same. The main meal and the snacks are usually high in protein, carbs, and sugars. You prefer to eat them at night as your body recovers so you have more energy the next day. The biggest problem you have with it is that it does produce quite a bit of waste plastic. But you’re going to be able to throw your trash away here shortly. 

While your body is tired, you don’t feel quite ready for sleep yet. Maybe a quick bath in the river would make you feel better? Yeah, it probably would. You pull out your tiny bottle of shampoo and body wash. It’s actually a really nice little invention. Basically, it’s a 2-in-1 and it’s environmentally friendly. Even the bottle is biodegradable. Walking over to the river, you pull off your clothes and leave them on a dry rock. The water feels even colder against your skin now that the light and heat of the sun is gone but it relaxes your muscles all the same. You pour some of the contents of the bottle into your hand and place the bottle on one of the many large boulders near you. It doesn’t take you long before you’re clean, but you’re still not quite ready for sleep. Instead, you stretch out in the cool water and stare into the heavens. 

The night is clear. You don’t think you’ve ever really seen the stars this clear in your life. There was too much light pollution at your home. A sigh escaped your lips as you closed your eyes. The water had slowed down during your walk, the sound of it quieted by the deepening of the river. You still heard it, but you could make out other noises over the din. A quiet chirping of crickets, the calls of some owl, even the peculiar call of a whippoorwill all reached your ears. The music of the night pierce deep within you and you allow yourself to just be, allow your body to lose itself to the sensations around you. 

The water flows like cool silk against your naked skin, and the rocks that you recline on are smooth against you. You think that you feel a school of tiny fish brush against your calves, but it’s too dark to see clearly. 

Eventually, the coolness of the water and the peacefulness of the night, pairing with your exhaustion from the day’s hike cause your eyes to become lidded from drowsiness. Honestly, if you hadn’t made that promise, if you didn’t have to return home, then you would stay right here. But you can’t. A heaviness settles into your chest. Why did you give up your freedom so easily? Why does it feel like standing by your word would be something that you regret? You stand, swaying a bit as your body readjusts to a vertical position. The air chills your wet skin as you walk back to your tent and clamer into it.  _ Where did I put that towel…? _ Goosebumps pull high on your arms as you search. 

You pull it out from one of the many pockets that your rucksack has to offer and dry off. The towel is unceremoniously discarded as you crawl into the warm confines of your sleeping bag. With a huff, you twist and turn for a little bit, attempting to find a comfortable position for your body on the rocky ground beneath your tent. Once you find it, it doesn’t take you long to crash, the sounds of the night lulling you to sleep. 

  
  
  


The morning wakes you with the sun once again creeping up over the mountain ridges. You rub the sleep from your eyes and crawl out of the tent, still naked from the night before. Another benefit to being by yourself in the middle of the mountains: you can walk around naked all day and no one would ever see you. 

You get dressed in the clothes that you took off the night before, still somewhat smelling of sweat. You wrinkle your nose, but there isn’t much that you can do about it. It isn’t like you can do your laundry on the trail. That would take up at least a day off travel per load. You don’t have that sort of time. 

Once you pack up all your supplies, you set off again with another protein bar in your hand. The day is already promising to be cooler, and it smells like rain is in the distance, so you get back on the trail. You don’t mind the rain, but it’s easier to deal with under a thick canopy from the trees and leaves above you. 

A few hours later, you were proven right when you heard a few raindrops begin hitting the leaves on the ground. A couple hit you, but based on the sound coming from above, you’re getting spared from most of the onslaught. The sky lights yellow and a clap of thunder makes your whole body vibrate. It’s then when the trees suddenly end and you see a road. With a sigh, you step out from your cover and head south on the road, it would definitely take you to the next town. 

You get drenched in moments, and you occasionally open your mouth towards the sky, letting the clean water fall into your mouth, giving you a nice little drink. A rumble behind you causes you to move to the side of a road, and when you turn to look, a rusty red pick-up truck drives down past you before stopping. You keep walking, and about the time you can look inside the truck, you see a...blue fish woman? 

“Ya need a ride, punk?” Her voice is deep and rough and her yellow eyes are focused on you. The rain comes down harder on you, making you struggle to hear what she says. You begin to notice that you’re feeling quite chilly.

“Do you mind?” You ask, your voice croaking from disuse. 

“Hell no, get in.” You did as the monster lady told you. You quickly thanked her and got in, sticking your large pack on the floorboards between your feet. “So, where ya headed?”

“The nearest town, please.” 

“You got it punk, so what are you doing walking in the rain? Your car break down or something?” She began to drive, expertly shifting the manual into first gear and then second as she picked up speed. You shiver and she turns on the heat, making you feel so much better.

“No no, nothing of the sort. I’m actually hiking. I just need to get more supplies. I’m about out of food.” You watched her a bit cautiously. You aren’t  _ nervous _ per se, but even though she is helping you, you’re still wary of strangers. 

“Hiking in the rain? You could have picked a better day for it, girlie.” 

“Heh, hard to pick a day for it when you’ve been doing it for...uh...what’s the date?” She supplies that it is July 26th and gives you a weird look. “Yeah, hard to pick a good day to hike when you’ve been going for three and a half months.” 

“What?! Dude, that’s so fucking cool!” A small blush took over your cheeks when you saw the large smile she sent your way.

“Yeah, it is kind of cool. Have you heard about the Appalachian Trail? It goes from Maine to Georgia, twenty-two hundred miles roughly and it takes about half a year to hike the whole thing.”

“I bet I can do it in a month!” The sudden admission she tells you causes you to laugh a loud bark. 

“That, I’d like to see! I think the record right now is two months. The guy ran it the whole way.” You watched the road twist under the truck and occasionally through the trees, you thought you could catch glimpses of civilization. 

“That dude sounds like a badass. I gotta see if I can take off work long enough to give it a shot.” Her eyes kind of tightened around the edges, making you wonder what she does for work. You wind up asking her and she tells you that she works in Ebott as the Chief of Police. 

“Then, if you’re the boss, why can’t you just take off?” you asked.

“Gotta make sure that there is someone there who can lead my precinct without me, I mean, it wouldn’t be hard. Ebott is super low in crime. We mostly just have misunderstandings, but we still get the rare crimes committed. Mostly just a misdemeanor here and there.”

“Well, talk it over with your boss, perhaps. I’m sure if you give them enough of a warning ahead of time, then they can easily make arrangements for you to take a vacation. I will say though, if you get your time off request answered, you may want to bring a friend or a significant other with you. It can get lonely out there.” You felt your face fall just a bit, not that you tried to bring anyone with you.  _ Isn’t that the understatement of the year. _

As you girls talked on the way down the mountain, you felt yourself becoming more and more relaxed as you talked with the monster lady. By the time you made it into town an hour later, you had learned that her name was Undyne, that she was married to someone named Alphys and her best friend, named ...paper…? lived about an hour from her so she didn’t get to noogie him as often as she had when they all lived Underground together. You both laughed quite a bit together before she dropped you off at a small corner store, making sure that you grabbed your pack. She was waving to you before her lil red truck turned a corner. You had enjoyed her company and as you walked into the store, you still felt yourself to be in a good mood. 

The bell dinged above your head, and immediately you heard someone call out a ‘good morning’ from somewhere further inside. You responded in kind and began to search for a small trash can. There was one tucked beside the front counter and you pulled it to you, making sure you emptied out your trash pocket completely. 

Once satisfied with that, you began to meander down some of the aisles, looking at food for your trip. Finding a box of granola bars and some trail mix, you brought them to the counter where an older lady was sitting and waiting for you. 

“Will this be it, dearie?” You shook your head.

“No ma’am, I also ordered shoes from here a few months ago.” 

“What’s the name and around when did you order them?” she asked, bringing out a huge notebook from under her counter. You can only assume it has the order history of hikers from the last ten years at least. 

You gave her your name and the month that you ordered your new hiking boots. 

“Ah, there you are, miss. Give me a moment to get them.” You nodded as she slid off her stool and walked around a clothes display and into a closet of some kind. It took her less than a minute and she was back with your new boots. 

“Okay, dearie, your boots have already been paid for so the cost of the granola bars and trail mix will be $15.35 after tax. Would you like a bag?” You brought out your worn wallet and passed her a $20, declining the bag and instead sticking the food in your pack. 

“Would it be alright with you if I go ahead and throw my old boots away in your trash?”

“Put them in the dumpster outside.” 

“Thank you.” you smiled at her. She gave you a wave and wished you a good day, you returned the sentiment as you walked out the door, the bell dinging again as you walked out. 

There was a rocking chair out on the porch of the shop that was for sale and you took the moment to go ahead and sit down to remove your old boots. They weren’t that old, only a few months, but the hard walking and ups and downs with the weather had almost completely destroyed them in just under two months. You were now on your third pair of the trip and about halfway through your trip. There was a part of you that was strongly tempted to just  _ stay _ and not go back. No one would ever know what had happened to you, after all. Could have been kidnapped, fallen off a cliff, no one would ever know except you. But you did give your word and you were going to keep it, even if you regretted it for the rest of your life. 

You shook the thought out of your mind now that you had your new boots on, making sure to toss the old ones in the dumpster. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still grey. You didn’t know if it was going to continue or not but it wouldn’t surprise you in the slightest if it started up at any time. 

It took you maybe an hour tops to walk back out of the town. There were signs almost everywhere pointing you back to the trail and you took the closest one. 

Being back on the trail made you feel good, even if it was slick and muggy out. The openness made you feel strong. Made you feel alive. 

Two days had passed since you stopped by town. You woke up to the sound of wind and the occasional rain drop splashing against your tent. It had rained all throughout the night, dropping the temperature down this damp morning. It would be a humid day when the sun finally rose, you thought with a pang of annoyance. You didn’t have anything against the rain, far from it, it was calming and it set your heart at ease. 

With a groan, you got dressed inside your small temporary home. A plain t-shirt with some holes in it, cargo pants that now had a permanent stain at the bottom hem, and your new boots with some thick socks that helped prevent blisters from popping up as you broke them in. For the meantime, you donned your athletic sweater, but that would be coming off fairly soon. 

You rolled up your sleeping bag as tight as you could and strapped it to the bottom of your very large backpack, making sure that it was clasped down tightly. Stepping out of your tent, it was still on the dark side of the morning. The stars were still shining on one half of the heavens, while the other half was lightening up into a still dark blue. 

In no time at all, you had your tent taken down and you double-checked to make sure that you weren’t leaving anything behind. Pleased that you had left no trash and none of the important things, you began walking into the dark treeline away from the camp clearing that was set up specifically for hikers. 

About four hours later, you were looking over the city nestled in the valley of the mountains. It wasn’t a large city by any means, but it had increased in fame or infamy in the last couple years. It was where monsters had come out from under the mountain, after all: Ebott City. You didn’t have a reason to head down to this particular city, so you decided that it would be best to take a break at this private overlook. Rest your feet and legs just a bit while you breathed in the nice crisp air. 

The rain had stopped quite some time ago, but everything was still wet, so you had sat down on your sweater on a rock to try to keep at least a little bit dry. With a sigh, you stood up and tied your sweater around your hips and repositioned your pack on your shoulders. The sudden weight and righting of yourself caused the blood to your head and your stomach dropped as your foot slipped off the edge of the overlook. 

_Why were you so close to the edge?!_

Your heart jumped into your throat as you fell and tumbled against sharp rocks and into the sides of some trees. The wind was knocked out of you. You couldn’t  _ breathe _ . Something snapped while you fell, but there was too much and too little on your mind for you to really focus on it. 

Scraping.

Thudding.

Sliding.

_ Help! _

Eventually, after falling forever, although your mind half realized that it couldn’t have been forever, you crash land onto the hard earth. Your vision goes dark. 

Everything hurts. Especially your leg...and your arm...and your other arm..fucking hell, your head. You groan as you try to move but something is preventing you from actually committing to the movement. You open your eyes but everything is spinning so you close your eyes again. You’re laying on something wet and cold but when you try to move, pain is all you feel. Every inch of you feels like it’s on fire.  _ Why couldn’t you move your arms? _ A broken sob tore its way from your sore throat. You must have been screaming a long time, or you’ve gone awhile without water. 

“-elp...pl..s. S..bdy.” The pain was too much. You fell off a mountain and now you were going to die alone out here. Nobody knew where you were. Fear was crawling into you. How long would you be out here dying? How long would it be until a bear or mountain lion came to eat you? Panic filled your lungs, prompting your mind to take you away. Instead of pain, you were floating in a dark, too dark, space. There was nothing. No sound of the wind, no feeling of gravity or the ground beneath your feet. You couldn’t even feel yourself blinking, let alone know if you had your eyes open to begin with. 

It was impossible to know how long you stayed there, but eventually, a white cracked face appeared before you. But only a face, no body. It looked at you with something akin to pity but you couldn’t quite tell how you knew that. 

_ Where am I? _

You couldn’t help it. You were scared. You weren’t ready to die. Please don’t be dead. Soft hands patted your cheeks and rubbed your head, causing you to start. You hadn’t seen them but suddenly they were on you.

_ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎🕯︎☼︎☜︎ ✋︎☠︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ ✞︎⚐︎✋︎👎︎📪︎ 💣︎✡︎ 👎︎☜︎✌︎☼︎.  _ Garbled words came out of the face’s mouth. 

_ I can’t understand you.  _

Softness rounded out the non-droopy eye and it looked...sad, somehow. 

✋︎ 😐︎☠︎⚐︎🕈︎📬︎ ✋︎🕯︎💣︎ 💧︎⚐︎☼︎☼︎✡︎📬︎. It spoke again, its hands moving along with the words. You still didn’t understand. One of the hands covered your eyes softly and you tried to open them, but it was firm in keeping them shut for you. It didn’t take long for you to start to feel heavy. 

Opening your eyes again to see just what was making you feel that way turns out to be a mistake, too. It’s too bright and you quickly shut your eyes against the light. The smell of strong cleaning agents, though, makes you think of a hospital. 

A noise from your left catches your attention, a deep baritone voice speaking. It’s low enough that it doesn't seem to contribute to the headache that you’re just beginning to notice.

“hey, pal, you finally awake?” You aren’t sure if it’s directed at you, but you give a noncommittal ‘hmm’ anyways. Who was speaking to you?

“you took quite the tumble. you’re lucky my bro found you as quickly as he did.” 

“Where am I?” The question is croaked out, you just now realizing how dry your throat is. It seemed like by some miracle the person beside you could tell, and you found something pressing against your lips.

“have some water, kid.” You opened your mouth and sucked on the straw, the cool water feeling amazing on your sore throat. “you’re at ebbot memorial hospital. looked like you were hiking and you took the shortcut down. lemme find the nurse for you.” 

A warm, thin hand patted your hand softly and the sound of a chair being scootched back was loud in your ears. The beeps from a monitor nearby registered in your mind. Something prickled at the skin on the hand that the stranger didn’t touch. Slowly opening your eyes, you directed your stare to the hand, only to find it in a thick cast. You could just barely make out the I.V. Turning your head, you noticed not only was your right arm in a cast, so was your left arm and your left leg.  _ Great. Just great. _ You thought bitterly to yourself. 

You had finally convinced your parent’s that this trip would be good for you, but here you were, at least three broken bones and in a hospital. You really didn’t want to cut this trip short. It was your last bit of freedom you’d get in quite some time. Caught up in thoughts, you didn’t realize that you were crying and no longer alone. 

The nurse had come in and behind him was a skeleton.  _ Lovely, I woke up just in time to meet the Reaper. _ Looking closer at him, you quickly discarded that thought. He? was a monster, not the Grim Reaper. And you had a vague sense of recognition. You had seen him before, but hadn’t paid him any mind. Something else was more important at the time, though now you couldn’t remember. Thinking wasn’t helping your headache, so you allowed yourself to quit thinking about it.

“Ma’am, I have a few questions for you. May I have your name?” You gave it to him and he moved on to the next questions on his list.

“What year is it?” 

“202X”

“Where are you?”

“A Hospital”

“Thank you, ma’am. Glad to see that you’re awake. Do you remember what happened?”

“I fell off the mountain, the leaves were wet. It had rained that night and the ground was slick. Nothing else though.” As you spoke, the nurse was writing something down on his clipboard, only occasionally moving a stray lock of mousy brown hair that refused to stay out of his eyes.

“Mr. Serif here said his brother found you not too far from their property, seems like he was able to get you in here fairly quickly. I dare say, without them, I don’t believe you’d be here now.” You nodded as he spoke, you believed that it wasn’t too far of a stretch. 

“You’ve been here for a week. We would like to keep you here for another day just for observation, then we can go ahead and proceed with the discharge papers. Do you have anywhere you can go?”

You shook your head. “My family lives in New York City. It would be quite difficult to manage all of my injuries alone on that long of a flight.”

“Ah, I see. Well, we can look at sending you over to one of our recovery wards, though think about a plan B as they are often full.” You nodded again as he placed a hand on your foot. His warm hand felt nice against the ice that was your toes. It was then that the skeleton spoke up.

“if it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for you, you could stay at the lodge with me and my cousins. it would make my bro happy to see that you’re ok.” You looked over at him, Mr Serif. His hands were tucked deep into the pockets of his blue parka, the cream colored fur just barely darker than his skull. He had a lazy grin plastered on his face, but now that you thought about it, he hadn’t yet dropped the expression. The white eyelights on you sharpened just a bit as you looked at him. 

“It would make it easier for me to discuss with you the debt I owe you and your brother for saving my life.” For a second, he looked confused at the mention of a debt, but then relaxed again a moment later when you clarified why. 

“nah, kid, you don’t owe us anything. just focus on getting better, yeah?” You nodded, still intending on paying him back. This just wasn’t a discussion to have in front of the nurse. Thinking of, you glanced over at the nurse and he nodded. 

“If you believe that would be best, then we can go ahead and proceed with that plan.” 

“Please do.” The nurse gave you a final nod and told you to press the red call button beside you if you needed him for anything else before retreating from your room. 

Your eyes fixed back on the skeleton monster in front of you who was moving to sit at the chair beside your bed. 

“So, Mr. Serif,-”

“sans.”

“Excuse me?”

“call me sans. it's my name.” You gave him a look as he corrected you but other than that, you didn’t comment much on it. 

“Sans, thank you. So let us get on to the business of what I owe you and will owe you for your hospitality. I understand that monsters are doing well financially, but I can still pay you for the room and board, food, and subsequent trips to the doctor to check on my injuries.” As you spoke, you began to lay back. Your headache hadn’t gone and it was beginning to wear on you. You needed to figure out what you owed him before you passed back out though. 

“I owe you and your brother my life. It will take me awhile, but I will pay you back. You have my word on that.” Your eyes fell shut as you waited for him to speak. 

“don’t want your money, kid. but if it’ll make you happy, my bro could use a friend to hang around with. i have it on good faith that he’s quite  _ bonely _ .” You opened one of your eyes as you let out a quiet snort, though you closed it again rather quickly when you saw his smirk. 

“I see. It’s kind of  _ humerus _ because I’ve been feeling the same way lately,” you admitted. 

“Are you sure that that will be enough, though? Feels like unequal payment.” That wasn’t a yawn that escaped you, it wasn’t. 

“yeah, just be nice to my bro and i’ll call us square. but let me let you get some rest. i’ll come pick you up around noon tomorrow.” He stood up again, and you hear him moving the chair somewhere else in the room. 

“Hey, Mr. Serif -- I mean, Sans?”

“hmm?”

“Thank you again for getting me help. Thank you for not letting me die out there.”

“heh, no problem, kid.” You didn’t even hear the door open and him leave before you were out like a light. 

  
  


The nurse, who you eventually found out was named Jonathan, woke you up bright and early to go over your treatment plans. For the first two weeks, you were expected to keep your arms and leg elevated, don’t get your casts wet, take your pain medications as prescribed, stick to light exercise and a whole bunch of other rules. Luckily, you were given a print out. You didn’t think that you would be able to remember everything otherwise. Next came the discharge papers. Because of your mobility, or lack thereof, you signed an X for your name and then sat in your room waiting for Sans. Once he signed the discharge papers, too, then you would be free to go with him. 

The nurse came back into your room and helped you out of the hospital gown and into one of the sleeveless summer dresses that you had picked out from the gift shop down stairs. You weren’t quite sure where your belongings had managed to escape to, but you planned to ask Sans when you got to his home. 

Now dressed, the nurse carefully steadied you on your one good leg and supported your weight into the wheelchair behind you. Your patience was beginning to wear thin, not because of the nurse, but because you were largely independent and you hated feeling like an invalid but that’s what you were and would be until you healed. \

A knock sounded at your door and you could see a bony hand at the window. Jonathan let Sans in and he quickly got through the signing. Then it was time to leave, and you were grateful to get out of the smell of cleaning products. Sans took over pushing your wheelchair and he carefully navigated you out of the hospital and into the sunny day that you had seen from your window. You took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and the sun on your shoulders. 

Your chauffeur guided you to a cherry red convertible and you raised a brow. With how soft spoken your savior was, you wouldn’t have thought he’d go for such a flashy car. He must have read your mind because he spoke up then. 

“it’s my bro’s. i couldn’t get ya home on my vespa. he’s letting us use it to get you home.” 

“It’s a really pretty car. Your brother has good taste.” You said, looking at the Maserati GranTurismo. You didn’t know much about cars, but you definitely thought some looked better than others. Sans opened the passenger door and parked your chair beside it, making sure to put the locks on your wheels. His hands went under your arms and you felt something weird in your chest, like something was grabbing you as he slowly pivoted you on your good foot into the car. You rubbed at your chest after he strapped you in with the seatbelt. He didn’t seem to notice as he was busy folding up the chair and storing it carefully behind you. 

Once both you and the chair were secure, he walked slowly over to the driver’s seat and carefully backed out of the parking spot. He put on some music, though you didn’t recognize the tune. It was catchy and you found you didn’t mind it even though it wasn’t a genre you were familiar with. When you asked him, he told you it was Celldweller’s So Long Sentiment. He didn’t seem much for words, and honestly, you weren’t feeling like a conversationalist today either. You were grateful that he seemed to be respecting that. 

It took you guys about a good thirty or so minutes to get to his home. You had left the city only by about 5 minutes and passed some of the suburbs even faster than that. He made a right turn into a gated driveway and you watched as the gate closed silently behind you. Concern was worming its way into your mind, but from what you heard, monsters were largely trustworthy, even more so than people by a landslide. You did your best to push it aside.

Pulling up to the large house, Sans had called it a lodge, you saw quite the array of vehicles. Two flashy motorcycles and a black Bugatti Chiron were sitting in the garage as Sans carefully slid his brother’s ride in the open space. The opposite of what happened at the hospital now took place. Sans unpacked the wheelchair and rolled it over to you before locking the wheels. Unbuckled you and again supported you by lifting under your arms,  _ there was that feeling again of something being grabbed in your chest _ , and pivoting you back into the chair. 

“so as a heads up, there’s eight of us here. some of them won’t want much to do with you and others might talk your ears off. just call me if you need any help, ok, kid?” 

“I will be sure to remember that. Thank you again for all you’re doing for me.” With that, Sans ruffled your hair and led you inside. The garage led into a large and spacious kitchen with a nice sized island in the middle. There were granite countertops and every appliance you could ever ask for and it was all immaculately clean. From the kitchen, he pushed you into a large open dining room and living room. Someone was reclining on the sofa and reading something fairly thick. 

“hey, stretch,” the head lifted a bit to the side, showing they were listening, “can you go get the others. our guest is here.” When they, Stretch, stood up, you could tell he was quite a bit taller than Sans. His features were different, too, much different. Sans had a rounder face and seemed to be built in a more stocky manner, with a permanent grin and small white eyelights. This Stretch person, the name really suited him, was slouching heavily. A lollypop rested between his teeth and he was in brown cargo shorts and an orange hoodie. His skull was more lean than Sans’, and his eye sockets lacked the same lights that Sans had. But overall, he had a kind face about him, even if he did look to be on the more tired side of things. 

While you were checking over him, he was doing the same to you. He winced noticing you in all your casts and you felt like broken bones may be worse on a skeleton monster’s psyche. You didn’t get to say anything though before he was gone. He didn’t walk out of the room or anything, he was just  _ gone _ . But not a minute later, two skeletons were running down the stairs with four more trailing along slowly behind them. Stretch showed up beside you and Sans causing you to flinch at his sudden appearance as he walked past. 

Sans walked past you and everyone branched off into pairs, he with a tall and excitable skeleton who looked a lot like Stretch, but with a ton more energy. A bright red scarf hung around his neck and flowed as though there was wind blowing it around him. He posed as he spoke to you. 

“HELLO HUMAN, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I AM SO PLEASED TO SEE YOU DIDN’T FALL DOWN AFTER I FOUND YOU.” Wow, he was loud, but he seemed like one of those genuinely good people that you very seldom met in your lifestyle. You smiled at him and were about to speak before the next excitable skeleton spoke up. 

This one was slightly shorter than Sans but had the same energy as the previously introduced Papyrus...wait..why was that name familiar? You didn’t have time to think about it as he was already talking. 

“AND I AM THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, MAIDEN!” You didn’t quite know where the maiden bit came from, but you elected to accept it. It was pretty cute. He wore a grey shirt and blue shorts and boots. A blue bandana hung around his neck. The cutest thing though was the blue stars that were in his sockets. 

“i’m stretch, blue’s bro.” You gave a smile at the three of them. Softening your voice a bit, you lowered your pitch for no other reason than you liked the way it sounded. 

“Pleasure to meet you three.” Turning your head a bit, you looked at the other four. There was one of the skeletons that looked like Papyrus, but he was dressed immaculately in red and black. Everything about him was sharp, from his facial features to his style. A large scar ran down one of his eyes and you briefly wondered how he got it. Feeling your eyes on him, he scowled at you. 

“I AM THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE. I KNOW I AM AMAZING, HUMAN, AND I CAN SEE THAT YOU RECOGNIZE GREATNESS WHEN YOU SEE IT. BUT DO NOT GET ATTACHED, WHELP. I AM READY FOR YOU TO LEAVE NOW.” Ouch, that sort of stung but you understood. Humans were not the best, your parents had already proven that to you with their anti-monster sentiment, you didn’t share that opinion, but you weren’t out about it, yet either. Your silence made you just as guilty as them and you recognized it. Perhaps one day your actions could be your own. 

Edge had no further words for you. The shorter skeleton beside him wasn’t dressed nearly as sharp. His teeth were pointed and you could see a gold one. He was on the larger side weightwise, and you wondered how that worked, because him looking heavier suited him quite nicely. A large black jacket with a red sweater underneath it paired with black shorts and a yellow stripe, you liked how he looked, even if the thick collar at his neck was something you didn’t see often. He caught you staring with his red eyelights and held up two fingers in the shape of a V before sticking his glowing red tongue ( _ they have tongues?!)  _ between them. You recognized the crude gesture and you couldn’t help but snicker at what he was implying. That seemed to be the right answer as he winked at you. Edge caught on however and gave the back of his skull a hearty smack causing this new skeleton to grab the back of his head. 

“‘m red, dollface.” The smile was off of his face. 

The next short one spoke, his voice just as deep but slightly different as the rest of the shorter skeletons. 

“I AM THE MALIGNANT BLACK. AND THIS IS MY BROTHER MUTT.” The smaller skeleton, Black, was dressed very similarly to Edge, but instead of red, he wore a deep violet. His lanky brother on the other hand, was dressed almost exactly like Red, just more burnt orange in color. There was something smoking between his sharp teeth and he had a very familiar golden tooth. He didn’t speak to you, only stared at you lazily. 

“Again, the pleasure is all mine.” You introduced yourself. “I wish I could stand to greet you all, but as you see, I can’t quite stand on ceremony.” Some of the quieter brothers chuckled a bit, but Edge spoke to you. 

“AT LEAST IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WERE RAISED WITH SOME MANNERS. NOW IF ONLY YOU WEREN’T SO WEAK.” His sharp eyes didn’t leave you, waiting to see what you would do next. 

“You’re quite right, Mr. Edge. I, too, wish I hadn’t fallen down the mountain. Perhaps when my bones are no longer broken, you could give me some pointers on making them stronger? I’m afraid strong muscles don’t quite do the job.” You smiled sweetly at him. It wasn’t uncommon that you had to deal with less than savory characters, especially those looking for favor with your parents, fortunately, it had given you some skills in conflict management. 

Edge didn’t seem to know what to say, and a red dusting had gathered across his cheek bones. With a loud ‘NYAH’, he grabbed Red the hood of his jacket and dragged him up the stairs. 

“Oh dear, I hope he didn’t take that the wrong way.” You looked at Sans to see his reaction, but he just shrugged. You guessed that you hadn’t said the wrong thing, either way, you weren’t certain by that reaction. 

Your name was called by the exuberant Papyrus, as he was walking over to you to push you around. 

“PLEASE ALLOW BLUE AND I TO SHOW YOU TO YOUR ROOM. WE HAVE PREPARED A GUEST ROOM ON THIS FLOOR FOR YOUR COMFORT. AND DO NOT WORRY, ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS ARE ALREADY INSIDE. WE SCALED THE MOUNTAIN AND MADE SURE WE DIDN’T MISS ANYTHING.”

You leaned your head back to look at him. He smiled down at you and you could almost forget the pain in your body. Blue rushed up ahead of you and opened the door. True to their word, your pack had made it down the mountain, parts of it were ripped and a few zippers busted. They had placed it by a dresser and left the escaped items beside it. 

“WOULD YOU LIKE ASSISTANCE UNPACKING?” Blue asked you. You didn’t have much of a choice as you couldn’t move your arms, but you appreciated the fact he asked anyways. With a nod and a ‘yes, thank you’, the boys began unpacking. As they went through the compartments, you told them how you had organized everything. Clothes were put away in the dresser and your sleeveless sundresses were hung in the closet. Anything dirty was immediately swept away to the laundry room, courtesy of Blue. You were embarrassed that they had seen your dirty undergarments, but you didn’t really have much of a choice. You were very limited in what you could do. 

Papyrus stayed with you and helped with further unpacking. 

“SO WHAT WERE YOU DOING WAY UP ON THE MOUNTAIN, HUMAN?” He asked. You couldn’t hear judgement in his tone, so you figured that he was just curious. 

“I was in the middle of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I’ve been at it for about three and a half months now. Though now i’m worried that I might not be able to finish it.” 

“THAT IS A SAD THOUGHT! DO NOT WORRY! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GLADLY HELP YOU HEAL AND REGAIN YOUR STRENGTH, FRIEND!....IT Is Ok To Call You That, Right?” He called you his friend, causing you to smile up at him. And you reassured him quickly that you would love nothing more than to be his friend. 

“After all, how could I ever decline being friends with the monster who saved my life so bravely?” A tangerine blush graced his cheek bones and he let out a bashful ‘NYEH HEH HEH.’ 

“Speaking of, how did you find me? I was under the impression that it was scarcely populated around here.” 

“WHY, THAT’S SIMPLE, HUMAN. THE OTHERS AND I JOG THROUGH THE WOODS BEHIND THE LODGE DAILY. WHILE WE WERE RUNNING, I HEARD YOUR SOUL CALLING OUT FOR HELP SO I WENT TO INVESTIGATE. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE AT FINDING YOUR SKELETON TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM YOUR FLESHY BITS. MY FRIEND, FRISK, TOLD ME ONCE THAT YOUR SKELETONS ARE SUPPOSED TO STAY UNDER YOUR SKIN SO I CALLED SANS AND HE GOT YOU TO THE HOSPITAL. HE WENT TO CHECK ON YOU DAILY IN CASE YOU WOKE UP SO WE COULD GET YOUR THINGS BACK TO YOU. BUT NOW YOU’RE STAYING WITH US UNTIL YOUR SKELETON IS BACK TO NORMAL AND IT’S GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN! NYEH HEH HEH HEH” You suppose skeletons didn’t actually need to breathe, but you got through that quickly even if you could feel your headache beginning to return. Rummaging around the back of your wheelchair in the little pouch, Papyrus pulled out your doctor’s notes and medication. With a quick but small declaration that he and Blue would be your nurses, he got to work setting up your treatment plan. 

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET SOME MORE REST, HUMAN? I DO NOT NORMALLY CONDONE NAPS, BUT BROKEN BONES NEED TO BE FIXED QUICKLY.” You hummed at that and he very effortlessly picked you up and laid you on your new bed. He quickly ran out of the room and when he returned a few minutes later, he had close to a dozen pillows in his arms. All of which were used to prop your arms and leg. Then he focused on propping up your head a bit easier so you could take the Tramadol the doctor prescribed you. The blanket was pulled over your legs. You expected Papyrus to leave, however, he sat down beside you on the bed, careful not to touch you. 

“MISS HUMAN? WOULD YOU Consent To Green Magic? It’s Good For Healing, But Some Humans Are Scared Of Magic And I Do Not Wish To Scare You.” 

“Sure, Mr. Papyrus, whatever would make you feel more at ease.” You had noticed his hands twitching a bit as he wrung them in his lap, but it seems that was the answer he wanted. His hands were placed on either side of your head, and you felt a slight pressure even though he wasn’t touching you. It felt strange, but not bad strange. You relaxed and with a few deep breaths, you were on your way to sleep. One thought caught you though as you fell. 

“Mr. Papyrus, would you by chance know a Mrs. Undyne?” You weren’t awake long enough to hear his answer. 


	2. To Your Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm thinking that my updates are going to be on the slower side. Maybe twice a month. I have a very good idea of how I want this story to progress and end. Now it's just a matter of filling the time between Reader's now and her future when she's all healed up.
> 
> Theme song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqBKrJnA8ZY

You woke up after what felt like only a few hours. Sleep came quickly, but it didn’t stay. Being unable to roll over without injuring yourself further and hot from being surrounded by the many pillows wasn’t the most comfortable. Of course, the first time that you had to heal a broken bone, you actually had to deal with five at once. 

The nurse had shown you your X-rays before you left. Both your broken humeri, the tibia and fibula, and one of your ribs. You had been very lucky that it hadn’t pierced your organs. When you moved slightly, trying to do something to get pressure off that  _ one spot _ on your hips, a twinge of pain moved through you. Not even a deep pain, from your bones, but one that was surface deep, reminding you of the bruises and cuts and scrapes that lay just under your clothes and out of sight. It had been quite shocking when the nurse had helped you with bathing, your mind not fully ready to see the extent of damage from your expedited descent. 

With a groan, you used your good leg to move some of the pillows out of your way. A final burst of energy and you managed to get yourself sitting up. The broken rib let you know that that hadn’t been a smart move and you sucked in a breath. Nausea welled up in your stomach and you had to focus on your breathing. In...1...2...3. Hold..1...2...3...4. Out...1...2...3...4...5.

Pain levels managed, you glanced at the side of your bed. Papyrus had left your wheelchair close by and it looked like the wheels were unlocked but backed up against the wall. It wasn’t ideal, but with a snort, you realized “ideal” would have been you on top of the mountain, but another hundred miles south. 

You swung your leg over the edge of the bed, slowly pulling your bad one with you.  _ Please let this work. _

You moved forward, and stood on your singular functional limb before pivoting and carefully lining yourself up with your seat. 

_ Well, this is it. Aim carefully. _

The breath that you were holding escapes your lips as you take a chance, and make it in your seat without further injury. The movement did cause your rib to sting again, but now that the hard part was over, you were happy to sit and catch your breath. 

Fortunately, it only took a few minutes, and then you began to pull yourself along with your good leg. The hiking had made you stronger than you had ever been previously. But when you reached the door, you realized the other obstacle. 

The store was shut. Hopefully not locked. The doorknob was more handled shaped, and not round.  _ Thank the heavens.  _ Very carefully, you moved yourself over to the side and used your good leg to hook your foot on the handle. With a gentle turn down and a pull, the door opened before you and you were quick to push it the rest of the way open. 

With the door now open, you could just begin to make out the sounds of voices coming down the hall. It wasn’t exactly quiet, but it gave you a good indication of just how insulated your bedroom was. 

You rolled yourself down the hallway and into the open living room. There was a group of skeletons gathered around the couches and chairs. Some were more focused on the fighting game playing on the television, while others were discussing something about puzzles. The tall lanky one, Mutt - if you weren’t mistaken- met your eyes. You thought you saw his eye sockets widen, but you weren’t certain that you actually saw it a moment later. He said something low, too low for you to hear, but it seemed to catch Papyrus’s attention. He quickly spun around to face you. 

“HUMAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED?!” Was it just you or were his eyes bulging out?

“I woke up and didn’t want to lay down anymore.” You answered coolly. “The angle was beginning to cause some discomfort and I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

“THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL ME TO COME GET YOU?” 

“I wasn’t certain the hour, Mr. Papyrus. I didn’t want to wake anyone if you had all gone to bed.” Orange streaked across his cheekbones and you found yourself wondering if that was a skeleton blush. It was actually quite endearing. 

“HUMAN, YOU DON’T HAVE TO CALL ME ‘MR’. I’M THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT SINCE WE WILL BECOME CLOSE DURING YOUR HEALING TIME, FEEL FREE TO JUST CALL ME PAPYRUS!” Realizing that he hadn’t moved to help you, he stood from where he was sitting to push you towards the others. 

“If you insist, Papyrus.” You were grateful he was pushing you. Your leg had begun to tire. “So did I hear you mentioning something about puzzles? I used to be fairly quick with jigsaws in my childhood. Maybe I can be of some assistance?”

He shook his head and explained that it was a different kind of puzzle. One to help prevent others from falling the same way that you did. The only problem was that with the trail being soundly outside their property, it wouldn’t be possible to build a fence. 

“Why not send a letter or email to the Ranger branch for this area and let them know what happened? If they get enough people mentioning the danger of that overlook, then, when they get the funding, they should be able to put a small fence.” 

“d’ya think tha’ll work?” you turned your head to face the voice that spoke to you. Red had looked up from his game and was facing you. It seemed like the match was over, though you couldn’t tell who had won. “dun want no more ‘f ya humans fallin’ on our turf.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to mention it. What’s that old saying? ‘The squeaky wheel gets the grease’?” His eyelights stayed focused on your face until Stretch prompted him to start the new game. 

“hey kid,” Sans called for your attention. “we all decided it would be best if paps would be your nurse. he’s currently in medical school and knows the most about fixing humans.” 

“If you’re training to be a professional,” you addressed the skeleton behind you, “then that would be preferable. Thank you for taking care of me.” 

“NYEH HEH HEH, ANYTIME, HUMAN!” His smile was almost as blinding as the sun, and as infectious as the flu. You returned it easily. 

You felt a faint tap on your knee. Seeing it was Mutt, you waited for him to speak. 

“so tell us a bit about ya, darlin’. not ev’ryday a human comes ta visit.” His voice was quiet and raspy, with a slightly higher tone than Red's baritone. You found it pleasant. It brought a slight blush to your face. His smirk let you know that he had already noticed. 

“Not much to tell, really.” Stretch slightly narrowed his eyes at you, game forgotten. Mutt only stared and waited for you to continue. “I live with my family up in New York City. That is also where I just got my Bachelors in political science. And now I’m currently hiking the Appalachian Trail before the rest of my life begins.” You were telling the truth, but only half truths. You didn’t need to think back to how many times it had been drilled into you by the head of your father’s security detail to never reveal who you actually were. 

_ “Listen,” an older man with greying hair addressed you. His eyes were sharp and harsh. You didn’t like how they looked down at you. You preferred the second-in-command. He was funny, and treated you like the child you were. “Keep your identity a secret at all times. Never mention who your parents are, to anyone. Should something happen, we need to keep you alive. When you have a child, then our job will be making sure to keep it alive. Stay alive until you do your job.”  _

_ “Hey, no need to be mean to her, general.” A warm large hand fell on your head and ruffled your hair and you pushed it off of you with a whine. “She’s just a kid. Let her get a bit older before we tell her how rough the world can be.”  _

_ The general never did enjoy being corrected. A sounding slap echoed in the room. Colonel didn’t raise his hand to his face. He only looked down at you and gave you a soft smile.  _

_ “Get out of here, my lady. I’ll be alright.”  _

“Hmm, what else?” Your eyes roamed the room, not looking at the gathered skeletons for more than a brief second. “I enjoy listening to classical music. I’ve only learned how to cook in the last few months. I don’t like the cold.” 

“wha’s th’s trail ya mentioned?” Red asked you. He made sure to look you up and down with a leer. It made your skin crawl, but you steeled your face into one of neutrality. Red looked a bit put off by your lack of reaction. 

You gave the same explanation that you gave Undyne. Though these guys were a bit more entertaining with their reactions. Papyrus’s eyes boggled and you got a very loud “WOWIE!.” The rest of the guys looked exhausted just thinking about walking that kind of distance. 

“Oh, Papyrus, I remember I asked you a question earlier. I’m afraid that I was asleep before I heard your answer. Do you mind repeating it for me?”

“THAT’S EASY, HUMAN! UNDYNE IS MY BEST FRIEND! HOW DID YOU MEET HER?”

Hearing Undyne’s name got the rest of the guys’ attention. 

“She gave me a lift from the trail to a general store two days before the fall. It was raining heavily and she came around the corner. Offered me a ride into the nearest town and then when I told her my direction, she mentioned that her best friend lived down this way. She misses you.” 

“heh, that sounds like her alright. whaddya say we go give her a call, paps?” Sans stood and walked past you and Papyrus, waiting for his brother. 

“YES! I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO CALL HER. HUMAN WILL YOU BE ALRIGHT FOR A BIT WITHOUT NURSE ME?” 

“Of course. Go enjoy your conversation.” Stars formed in his sockets and he took off after Sans who sent you a wink before leaving the living room. 

“So what are you guys playing?”

“super smash bros. never heard of it?” Stretch passed his controller over to Mutt who sat down in front of you.

“Never, it wasn’t something my family wanted their daughter to participate in for fear that it would distract me from my schooling.” Mutt had begun to lean back against your good leg, however, Papyrus hadn’t locked your wheels. You rolled out from behind him causing him to slowly fall back. 

“tha’s jus’ cold, darlin.” He didn’t look too bothered. 

“Apologies, Mr. Mutt. I don’t particularly mind, but I can’t exactly reach my brakes from here.” 

“mutt’s fine. not a mister, jus’ a dog.” 

“Should I take you two are also uncomfortable with being called ‘mister’?” 

“yeah.”

“yea.” 

Mutt spoke up again, his red orange tongue spilling out of his mouth as he slowly sat up. “c’n make ya call me ‘master’, though or scream it.” You felt your heart speed up. That was unusual. You weren’t a stranger to sexual comments. Far from it actually. From the time that you developed, you had noticed your father’s colleagues sending predatory leers your way. It made you feel like there were disgusting creatures crawling just below your skin. However, a sense of preservation strongly suggested you keep your confusing enjoyment from this skeleton. You made no comment and he went back to his game. You didn’t catch the look he and Red shared. 

They had both noticed your slight blush and the fact that you hadn’t told them to stop. Maybe...you would be a fun new addition to the household. Stretch glanced at you out of the corner of his socket. He knew that you lied. But only at the first part, when you mentioned there wasn’t much to tell. There was a lot that you weren’t spilling. He hoped that it was harmless enough, that you were just a private person. His past experiences with humans hadn’t been the best. 

“So where are your brothers?” 

“they went grocery shopping.” Stretch popped a lollipop behind his teeth. You felt like there was something unsaid, but didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask another question with the boys. Instead you focused on the boys playing their game. As you watched, you could at least figure out who was playing which character, even if you didn’t recognize the characters. Red would begin to curse and growl as the player on the left side of the screen began to lose lives. Mutt was silent, but he had sit up at some point when he wasn’t doing so well. 

Red won that round and gave a snarky chuckle at Mutt who had put the controller by his side. They both stood up. 

“ya comin’, ashtray?” Stretch was pulled out of his mind before getting up from his space on the couch. 

Mutt moved behind you and leaned on the handles of your wheelchair, leading you out with the others. 

“ya smoke, darlin’?” His voice was right behind your ear and you felt something playing with your hair. You weren’t ready for his voice to be that close, and oh  _ god was that him you were feeling against the cartilage of your ear _ ? You leaned forward, trying to pretend that your breath didn’t hitch. 

“I’ve never smoked, no.” He gave a quiet laugh that sounded downright sinister before pushing you outside with the others. The others had already lit their cigarettes, a ruby smoke coming from Red and a honey orange smoke coming from Stretch. 

“How come the smoke isn’t grey?” 

“we light it with our magic.” Stretch took a deep drag before letting a cloud of orange come from behind his teeth. Blood orange smoke drifted up to meet his, and you leaned your head back to see Mutt smoking something that looked like a weird cigarette. He watched you look. 

“i‘s a dog treat. magic. wanna try?” He held the smoking treat out towards you. When you gave a nod, he brought it to your lips. You took a tentative drag, your eyes looking into his. 

“deeper, darlin’. until ya cn’t inhale more. tha’s it, tha’s a good girl. now hol’ it in. count ta ten.” He counted down for you and nodded for you to exhale. You did with a series of coughs. How did people do that? Your lungs were burning, even though a calming numbing feeling was making its way through your body. Some of your aches had faded, but something told you that they’d be back later. 

Mutt brought back the dog treat and took a deep inhale, sending a wink to the blushing skeletons. Red was wiping some drool that had begun to pool and flow from his mouth, while trying to stop his magic from wanting to flow to his pelvis. Stretch just turned around. He was  _ not _ going to admit just how hot that was. 

“How do you”  _ cough _ “stand doing that? It burns.” You turned your head to your shoulder to muffle your coughs and to try to wipe the tears that formed in the corners of your eyes. 

“it’s calmin’.” You got the distinct feeling that you weren’t going to get any more out of Mutt so you focused your attention on Red. He wasn’t looking at you, so you allowed yourself to stare at him. His bones looked real, like the bones that you’d find in your food when your family’s chefs cooked chicken. But there was a red drop of...something...beading on his skull before sliding down his face. 

You were going to continue looking, but the sound of a vehicle pulling up the drive caught your attention. Edge was pulling up with Black and Blue in the Bugatti. It glided to a stop inside the garage and Mutt started to push you back into the house before depositing you and your wheelchair in the living room. The scent of spice and smoke wafted by you and when you tried to look for it, you noticed that you were all alone. 

Their boisterous voices carried through the walls, not enough to make out what you were hearing, but where you could tell they seemed to be in a fairly decent mood. Blue was the first through the door with a ton of bags hanging off his arms. Edge and Black walked in a bit slower, but with no less bags. Mutt followed Black with two bags, one for each hand.  _ How did he…? He was right here behind me.. _

You couldn’t figure it out. But you didn’t have much extra time before Blue had walked up to you, his groceries already put away. “GREETINGS, HUMAN. I’M ABOUT TO MAKE DINNER SINCE IT’S TACO NIGHT! DO YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES?” 

“Um, bell peppers. I thought monster food didn’t trigger allergies though?” 

“IT DOESN’T, BUT YOU CAN’T LIVE OFF OF ONLY MONSTER FOOD. YOU NEED SOMETHING MORE PHYSICAL SO I’M MIXING THEM TOGETHER FOR YOUR STAY HERE.” His eyelights became baby blue stars for a moment.  _ That’s...actually really cute. I wonder what that’s about? _

“Woah, how do your eyes do that? It’s absolutely  _ fascinating _ .” 

“IT’S BASED ON MY EMOTIONS! I CAN DO IT AT WILL, TOO! BUT IT’S USUALLY BECAUSE I’M FEELING SOMETHING POSITIVE LIKE HAPPINESS OR PRIDE.” A light blue blush formed across his cheekbones. You figured that that has something to do with embarrassment. These guys were just so cool. 

“Oh, Mr. Blue, would it be possible to request a type of soup?”

“THAT’S FINE, BUT WHY?” 

“Well, I don’t have use of my arms, I can’t exactly hold a fork and knife at this moment. At least with soup, I can use a straw.” 

“I CAN IF YOU REALLY WANT THAT, BUT WE’VE ALREADY DECIDED TO FEED YOU.” 

“I wouldn’t want to be that much of an inconvenience for you. You have to eat, too.” You couldn’t stop the flush forming across your cheeks. Blue looked serious and completely unbothered by the prospect of feeding you. Almost as though he wasn’t aware of how feeding someone could appear...intimate. 

“I guess, whatever option would be easiest for you.” 

“VERY WELL, HUMAN, FEEDING YOU IT IS.” Blue gave your head a gentle pat before rocketing himself back into the kitchen. 

“you really don’t have any shame, do ya?” You jumped and turned to see Stretch leaning on the handles of your wheelchair, his teeth having been right by your ear.

“I’m not entirely certain as to what you mean, sir.” His eye lights locked on yours and sharpened harshly. You felt a bit of fear crawling up your spine but you held his gaze. Neither of you were willing to look away. 

“making my bro bend over backwards to help you.”

“I’ve already offered Sans monetary compensation for caring for me while I recover. As soon as I’ve been cleared by the doctors, I will be on my way and will be out of your proverbial hair. That you have my word on.” 

His eyes flickered towards your chest before back up to your eyes. 

“you know we don’t need your money.” 

“Then what do you want?”  _ Please tell me what you want so I can pay my debt faster. _

“well, if ya fancy yerself a politician, maybe get a rush order on some rights for us.”  _ And of course he picked something that would be difficult.  _

“Do you know how human politics work, by any chance? What you’re asking for isn’t impossible, but it won’t be an overnight thing. First and foremost, public opinion of monsters has to change. Too many people are still terrified of you and consider you hellspawn. Secondly, most officeholders are old white men who are set in the ways of the past. They have to be ousted, either by a lost election or time. You’re looking at years and years of work that I might not be able to accomplish in my lifetime.”  _ Not to mention how little support I’ll get from Mother and Father, since they’re staunch monster haters.  _

You felt a headache making its way behind your eyes and you wished that you could rub your temples. 

“Then, a bill, or in this case, many bills have to be written. They have to be flawless and without loopholes for others to exploit because  _ they will be exploited once found _ . Once it’s been approved by a few members of a committee willing to fight for you,  _ after  _ it has been studied, it then is brought to the House of Representatives to set a date for it to be voted on or debated or amended. If it passes with a simple majority, then it moves to the Senate. Which means yet  _ another _ committee reviews it. If they release it, yes  _ if _ ,” you specified when it looked like he was about to jump in, “then it is debated on again and voted on again, with the hopes of another simple majority. Now, if you want me specifically to take care of this, first I have to complete law school and then get elected. Most likely with a smaller office, be it a City Commissioner or even Mayor. Then, after I get my name out there enough and why people should vote for me, I can try for governor of my state. If enough people in my state approve of me, then I will have a better chance of becoming a representative or a senator. It doesn’t have to be in that order, but the work history would be helpful with voters who will want to know if I’m competent at my job. So while I don’t mind taking on that task, please keep in mind that there won’t be results for  _ quite  _ some time.” Your voice had taken on a harsher tone towards the end, but you were suddenly feeling drained. You let your eyes close and your head lean back. You really could use a shoulder rub. When had they gotten so stiff?

“Is there anything else that I can do for you, sir? Or are you finished with me?” You sounded nearly defeated, you noticed with a mental sneer. Of course you had used up what little energy you had recovered from sleeping. 

Stretch didn’t answer you. Either he was still thinking about what you said, or he had left. You didn’t care enough to open your eyes to check. You didn’t care when you felt someone move something soft behind your head, or when something warm covered your legs and was tucked under your feet. 

“Thank you.” 

“nyeh, no problem, honey.” 

“Thought you were angry at me for taking advantage of Blue.” 

“i was. looks like i was wrong ‘boutcha. thought all yer politicians were liars.” A hand was on your good foot. 

“They are. I’m just not a politician, yet, so I’m allowed to be truthful. Don’t get used to it.” 

He laughed softly, a small little ‘nyeh heh heh.’ “sorry about that, honey.”

“You can buy my forgiveness with a shoulder massage.” 

“not that sorry.” 

“Was worth a shot.” The two of you fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence, especially after that originally tense conversation. 

It didn’t take long before Blue announced that dinner was ready and you opened your eyes. Stretch seemed to have fallen asleep at your feet but he was already getting up. He took the pillow and blanket from you before tossing them on the couch. You were pleased that your headache had dissipated. 

The tall skeleton gently pushed you into the dining room and up to the table before he took a seat on the other side, where Red was already claiming his seat. Black and Edge were already seated, both at opposite heads of the table, and Papyrus took the seat to your left. A few moments later, the rest of the skeletons meandered in and took their seats. The one to your right remained empty. That was, it did until Blue made your plate, after which he sat down beside you. Papyrus put his napkin across his lap and made sure yours was in place, too. You gave him a quiet thanks. Blue followed suit and you noticed that Edge and Black also had taken their napkins from the table. 

“SO HOW ARE YOU LIKING IT HERE SO FAR?” Bless Papyrus for starting the dinner conversation. 

“You all have been gracious hosts, it’s been very pleasant here.” 

“no one ribbin’ ya too much, yet?” a few snickers at the pun reached your ears. 

“Not at all, Sans. So far, everyone I’ve spoken with has been kind.” 

Blue tapped on your knee and you turned to face him. He had cut up your taco already and had a bite ready for you on your fork. With only a little bit of internal apprehension, you leaned forward and opened your mouth. He guided the fork inside of you carefully, taking care not to get any on your face. When you closed your lips over the food and tongs, his eye lights changed again which caused you to blush.  _ This is nothing for you to feel happy or proud about! This is so degrading.  _ You pulled away and slowly made sure to chew your food. 

“Blue, this is really good. Who taught you how to cook?” 

“MWEH HEH HEH! THANK YOU, HUMAN! I TAUGHT MYSELF OUT OF SOME COOKBOOKS! DID YOU KNOW THAT FOR THE LONGEST TIME, I WAS PUTTING GLITTER IN MEAT? I THOUGHT IT LOOKED REALLY COOL, I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS ACTUALLY HARMFUL TO MY FRIENDS UNTIL I MET THE AMBASSADOR.”

“Glitter, huh? Well, thank you for withholding that from this meal. Maybe I can get some cooking tips from you before I go? At least with cooking some fish?”  _ And maybe, if I can convince Mother and Father, hire you on as a live-in private chef? Yeah, right, like that will ever happen. _ You nearly rolled your eyes at the thought. 

“I’D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TEACH YOU, HUMAN!” The next bite of food that came your way was a bit quicker than you were ready for and you nearly choked as the fork went further than anticipated. A muffled cough later, Blue was looking a bit sheepish. 

“SORRY, MAIDEN.” You decided to spare him, it was an accident, after all. However, you weren’t sure what the ‘maiden’ thing was about. “It’s ok, I’m just a bit fragile right now, that’s all.” 

“IF SHE COOKS WITH YOU, CHILD, THEN SHE MUST COOK WITH ME AS WELL. AFTER ALL, I AM CLEARLY THE BEST CHEF!” Edge finally butted in. 

“Sure, I’d be honored to cook with all of you while I’m in your care. If you won’t mind that I won’t be much help until after my casts come off, that is. I’d hate to hold you back, Mr. Edge.” You gave him your kindest smile and the use of your Diplomat Voice. It really did seem to take the wind out of Edge’s aggressive sails. 

He narrowed his sockets at you. “WAIT JUST A MINUTE...THE WAY YOU LOOK AT ME..THE SMILE..THE VOICE...YOU’RE-YOU’VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH ME!” Thank goodness you hadn’t leaned forward for your straw, had you had your drink in your mouth, it would have been all over the table at the words that just spewed from behind his teeth. “WELL, HUMAN, I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW: NO FUTURE MATE OF MINE COULD EVER BE AS WEAK AS YOU! YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE GREAT STANDARDS TO WANT TO CHOOSE SOMEONE AS PERFECT AS ME, BUT YOU HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO EARN MY AFFECTIONS! WE WILL START YOUR TRAINING TOMORROW MORNING AT DAWN!” 

The others around the table all have different reactions. Black immediately began laughing, prompting Mutt to turn his head and snicker. Red gave Edge a thumbs up and a lazy but supportive “go get er, boss.” Stretch was completely unbothered but did start trying to calm down Blue with the help of Papyrus since now Blue was now yelling at Edge that “NO, THE MAIDEN IS JUST BEING NICE, SHE DOESN’T LOVE YOU. YOU JUST MET HER TODAY.” Edge was starting to yell at both Black and Blue. It was so loud that it only sounded like noise, not actual words. Sans looked...just done with the whole thing. His eyes were on his plate and he was still eating calmly. He did look up when he felt your eyes on him, but he just gave you a shrug and went back to his food. 

“Gentlemen! Gentlemen, please! Calm down!” You tried to get the situation back under control. Slowly, the boys did quiet down eventually, and you attempted to clarify things. 

“Edge, Blue is right. We did just meet today. I’m not sure how it works for monsters, but it takes a while for affections to grow for humans. Sometimes we get along really well with someone that we first meet, and that compatibility may jumpstart emotional attachments, but I think you and I have had a bit more neutral meeting.” Edge was starting to blush and you realized that he might be embarrassed. “However, I’m not opposed to getting to know you, any of you, for that matter, better. I’m in your care until my bones mend. I’d like to be friends with you, if that pleases you.” Slowly the blush faded. “THAT WILL BE ACCEPTABLE, HUMAN. I WILL ALLOW YOU TO ATTEMPT TO BEFRIEND THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE. MY STANDARDS FOR FRIENDS ARE STILL HIGH, AND I EXPECT YOU TO REACH EVERY ONE.” His arms crossed his chest and he wouldn’t look at you,  _ a defensive posture. He must be insecure, or he might be holding himself back.  _ You wondered which one it might be before you turned back to Papyrus. 

“Thank you, for that, Mr. Edge. I look forward to meeting your standards. Blue,” you turned towards the silently fuming skeleton, “if you don’t mind, I’d like to be excused from the table. I’m afraid my headache is returning.” You leaned towards the table to take a sip of water. During dinner, you had gotten through most of your plate and you were definitely close to being full.

“DO YOU WANT US TO USE MAGIC ON YOUR HEAD?” You shook your head, which made you wince. That was a mistake. “No, thank you. I don’t want to keep inconveniencing you. If I can sit somewhere quiet for a little bit, that should take care of it.” Papyrus stood up and pulled you back from the table. 

“Would The Living Room Be Acceptable?” He has an inside voice? It sounded so calm and warm when it wasn’t at such a high decibel. “Yes, thank you. I’m sorry to pull you away from the table.” He patted your shoulder. “Oh, Nonsense. It’s Quite Alright. As Your Nurse, Your Health Is My First Priority.” He wheeled you to a stop beside the couch. “Are You Sure You Don’t Want Me To Use Your Magic?” 

“It’s alright, Papyrus. I’m already asking a lot of you all. I don’t exactly feel comfortable asking you to do more for me than I would ask from someone of my species, even if you are more than capable.” You sighed, ”I’m worried that if I ask too much, then you or your family might think that I’m attempting to take advantage of you.”

You really didn’t want to come across as someone who does that to others. Something about it made your insides squirm. He came over and kneeled by your chair, gingerly putting his hand on one of your arm casts. 

“I Don’t Think That Will Be An Issue. You Seem Like A Good Person From What I’ve Seen So Far. But If You Still Don’t Want The Healing Magic, I Will Be Returning To The Others.” He stood and headed back to the dining room. 

“Thank you, Papyrus.” “You’re Welcome, Human.” 

You sat there in the dark, your mind turning inwards as you focused on relaxing your muscles. Deep breath, hold it, exhale and unclench your jaw. Release the tension on your brown. Unstick your tongue from the ceiling of your mouth. Let your shoulders drop. 

_ You were in your family’s spacious dining room. Although “banquet hall” might be more apt. A large crystal chandelier sat over the large mahogany table you were at. The chairs were plush and heavy, requiring someone to push it in behind you as you took your place. The walls were a cream, the moldings and trims golden. Quite literally. Gold leaf covered most of the reliefs and pillars. Floral and Fruit paintings decorated the rest of the larger bare patches. Renaissance accent pieces were on the small tables around the walls. The tile was white and yellow, giving the room a luxurious feel. A smirk grew on your face. Had you lived in France, you and your family would have surely been beheaded at the opulent display of wealth. But you weren’t in France. The Politicians of the States ate this stuff up with a greed that rivaled that of your family’s.  _

_ You watched as Blue came to your table in his white uniform. Not a spot was on it. Had it been anyone else, you were certain that they would have been only barking orders at the sous chefs under them. Not Blue. The few times you had poked your head in the kitchens, he was constantly working in front of a stove. If he wasn’t cooking, he was planning on what meal to prepare your family next. He wheeled in cartful after cartful of delicious foods along with his work staff. You sat at the head of the table, and were the first person to be served. After all, it was your birthright.  _

_ Sans meandered out on a stage in front of your table and took a seat. Red and Stretch joined him. None of them were in the uniform your family tried to force them to wear. They weren’t even dressed up. But they were comfortable, each in their signature jacket or hoodie. That comfort allowed them to perform better, so ultimately your family backed off on the dress code. Together the three of them started a comedy routine that had all of your guests laughing. Who didn’t love dinner and a show? _

_ Mutt appeared beside your right elbow and leaned in towards your ear. An update on what he overheard in the halls of your guests. What they wanted from you. What you would have to do to win their support. No one paid him any mind, they were so focused on what was happening on stage. Neither did they notice when you pulled out a dog treat from the small compartment on the inside of your dress’s loose sleeve. With an order to report to his brother, he and his prize were gone as quickly and silently as he arrived. You’d never fail to reward your favorite guard dog.  _

_ After dinner was over, you motioned that you were done with sitting. It was time for you to get back to work. Your seat was pulled back and you placed your lightly used napkin on the table next to your empty plate. An arm was offered to you and you took it, allowing yourself to be escorted from the dining hall. Edge was silent as he walked you down the hall, taking his job seriously. In the years that he had served you, Edge had never once allowed you to come to harm. Your captain was one of the few that had your undying faith.  _

_ You stopped to look in on Papyrus. Ever since you had found out his penchant for healing magic, you were quick to employ him as soon as he graduated medical school. You paid for his Ph.D. since he had already earned his Masters. He was currently researching a way to cure different immunocompromising disorders and diseases. AIDS and HIV were already on their way out the door. He had done so well that other places were scouting him. He was sitting at his desk, his mandible on his hand. His eye sockets were closed. With a smile, you closed his office door. Your dearest doctor needed his rest.  _

_ Your next stop was at the security room where Black was keeping a careful eye on several monitors and talking on the phone with someone. By the nature of his tone, it was one of his grunts. Black was the whole reason you could invite so many people to your home. His boundless energy was what kept you and the rest of your household and staff safe. Nothing got past him or his boys. Every threat was taken care of, and only by his means. If a breath of a threat was said against you or your family, he was on high alert. Between him and his brother, no bit of intel escaped them. You were grateful for the loyalty of the Commander.  _

_ You made your way to the greeting room and you took your place on what could only be called a throne. You may not actually be royalty, but in the political climate that your parents carefully curated, you might as well be the Queen.  _

The feeling of being tapped repeatedly roused you from your daydream. Sans was looking at you, a worried look on his face. You still didn't know how a skull could be so expressive.

“ya ok, kid? ya looked really far away there.” 

“I’m fine, Sans. I was doing some meditating since my shoulders were tight and I guess I got stuck in my own dreams.” You couldn’t keep the disappointment out of your voice. 

“oh? wanna talk ‘bout it?” He sounded like he did genuinely care about what was going on inside your head, but how do you tell someone that you were dreaming about giving them all jobs that all revolved around serving you and your family in some way? 

“There isn’t much for me to say. It’s just another unattainable dream. It isn’t the first one I’ve had, nor will it be the last.” Your life was already planned out. You had no room for these boys once you repaid them. Once you left here, you doubted that you’d ever see them again. A very strict anti-monster role was what you were given. And you didn’t have a way of fighting it, no matter how much you were beginning to want to. 

If he heard the longing in your voice, he made no comment on it. Instead he held out a selection of movies. 

“pick one. we usually watch something after dinner together but we’re havin’ trouble picking tonight’s.” You leaned over and looked at the titles he laid down at your feet.  _ The Princess Bride, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, The Last Unicorn, The Hobbit  _ (Animated version) _ , The Crow, Lady in the Water, The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift,  _ and _ Kill Bill.  _

“I don’t know what any of these are.” You said after a moment of looking at the titles. You hadn’t had a chance to watch many movies while growing up. Your studies were more important. 

Sans pointed at the first one. “this one is like a dungeons and dragons game, and is entertaining. has all the tropes of most fantasy romance films and books. this one” he pointed at the second title, ”is more of a traditional quest type film. kind of focuses on the power of self and friends, but not so cheesy. actually no, still cheesy.” His phalange moved to the third title. “another journey/quest type film, more for knowledge and a search for a place to belong rather than power. and this one is a high fantasy film based on a book written forever ago. this next one is about an anti-hero getting revenge for some wrong deeds done to him and his lover. and this one is a thriller of trying to keep someone safe as they also try to get her home.” His hand moved over to the case with a car on it. “it’s a racing film. and this last one is another revenge, just as gruesome as the other revenge one.” 

“What’s ‘Dungeons and Dragons’?” He sat back and crossed his legs, getting comfortable to explain. 

“so it’s a roleplaying tabletop game. you create a character, and they start off with certain skills. you control what they’re good at and what they aren’t so good at. the dungeon master or game master is the person who writes the story, and your character goes through the story. you can change the story based on your actions. i run a game with the guys every week. sit in on the next session and if you like it, we can get you started if you’d want to play.” He picked up  _ The Princess Bride _ and put it in the DVD player. The other movies were put beside the player to be watched later. 

Sans sat on a beanbag chair off to your right. As the others filled in, Papyrus sat closest to you on the couch. Blue and Edge took the places next to him. Red and Stretch sat on the floor in front of the couch. Mutt locked your wheels and then leaned against your legs. Black took the plush looking chair. There were a few bowls of popcorn that made their way between the boys. 

The movie started with the sounds of someone coughing followed shortly after by some eight-bit rendition of ‘ _ Take me out to the ball game.” _ An old television screen appeared and there was a baseball video game on it. It cut to a boy sitting in bed, playing.  _ “Hi, honey.”  _ His mother said as she opened the door.  _ “Hi, mom.”  _ The boy said quietly. She walked over to him and kissed his forehead before putting her hand there.  _ “You feeling any better?”  _ She asked him, concerned.  _ “Lil’ bit.”  _ She moved away from him _. “Guess what?”  _ she asked. _ “What?”  _ She walked around his bed to open the curtains.  _ “Your grandfather’s here.”  _ The mother had a smile on her face when she said it.  _ “Mom, can’t you tell him I’m sick?”  _ The boy pleaded.  _ “You're sick. That’s why he’s here. _ ” She said, sitting down at the foot of his bed.  _ “He’ll pinch my cheek. I  _ hate _ that.”.  _ The mother tried to defend the grandfather.  _ “Maybe he won’t.”  _

The grandfather walked in with heavy footsteps and a deep ‘ _ hey _ ’ before walking over and pinching the boy’s cheek anyways. The boy gave a look to his mother that seemed to say ‘ _ I told you so _ ’. The mother began to leave and the grandfather mentioned a special present that he brought for his grandson. The boy seemed to be surprised, and a little excited, as his grandfather passed him the present and told him to open it up. You could clearly make out the disappointment on the boy’s face when he saw that it was a book. And not even a new book, but one that looked like it had been touched by age and use. 

The grandfather made a comment about when he was the boy’s age, television was called books, but this was a special book. It was the book his father read to him when he was sick and he used to read it to the boy’s father.  _ “And today, I’m gonna read it to you.” _ The boy asked if there was sports in it and the grandfather explained that there was fencing and fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. The boy seemed close to being sold on the book by admitting that it didn’t sound too bad.  _ “I’ll try to stay awake.” _ the boy said, cheekily. 

It seemed to rub the grandfather the wrong way.  _ “Thanks, you’re too kind. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.” _ He said in a voice heavy with sarcasm. He took off his hat and opened the book before putting on his glasses. 

_ “The Princess Bride. By S. Morgenstern. Chapter One. Buttercup was raised on a small farm… _ ” 

The movie gradually pulled you in once you got past the kid interrupting his grandfather over and over. Papyrus passed you a few pieces of popcorn on occasion, but after a bit you declined. You didn’t want to have any more distractions. The older style of the movie didn’t bother you, but instead gave you a sense of endearment to the film. Watching Buttercup and Westley fall in love was sweet. Though it was a total outrage that he was killed by pirates as soon as you met him! You immediately disliked Humperdinck. He reminded you too much of the men that your Father associated with. And when it was announced that she would be marrying him, you immediately felt for her. You knew what it was like, having someone chosen for you like that. 

The next scene with her riding the horse in a red dress made you feel a bit better. It had a soft string instrument playing and it was as soothing as it was sad. 

Eventually though, the movie came to an end. Sometime during the film, Mutt had taken your good leg and put it over his shoulder, occasionally massaging your calf. Papyrus and Blue had cheered and were very vocal throughout the movie--especially during the rhyming scene with Fezzik and Inigo (It seemed to remind them of dealing with their own brothers)--but not in a way that took away from it, but added to it instead. Stretch and Red had fallen asleep while Black and Edge immediately stood up and collected all the popcorn bowls. Sans seemed to have gone to sleep, too. His eyes were closed and his breathing even. 

You nudged the back of Mutt’s hoodie with your fingers and he leaned his head back to look at you. “Let me up, please?” He nodded and slipped out from under your leg. 

“Papyrus? Can I get your help, please?” He and Blue both walked over to you. You were kind of wary when Blue came over as what you were going to ask would be embarrassing enough, but Papyrus  _ had _ volunteered to be your nurse so you imagined that he would at least remain professional. “Yes, What Is It, Human?” “I’d like to take a shower or bath before bed but I can’t get my casts wet.” You turned your head away, not wanting to make eye contact. It would only make your blush worse. 

Fortunately, he seemed to be prepared. “Certainly, Let’s Go.” He walked around beside you and unlocked your wheels before pushing you towards the hallway. Blue walked away to rouse his brother to get in his own bed and off the floor. After getting you settled in the bathroom, he walked out and came back only a moment later with a nightgown for you. 

He set a stool in front of the bathroom sink and moved you out of your chair and onto the stool with your back to the sink. The water faucet was turned on and Papyrus held his hand under the water. After a minute, he took his hand out and touched your cheek with the back of it. It was warm. “How Is This For The Temperature? Not Too Hot Or Too Cold?” He asked. 

“It’s good, thank you.” 

“Ok, Now, Lean Your Head Back.” You did as he directed and the warm water felt absolutely heavenly against your scalp. How long had it been since you had hot water to clean yourself? Once your hair was thoroughly wet, he had you raise your head before gently working the shampoo down onto your roots. His phalanges were smooth, but at the same time, you could occasionally feel a soft scratching feeling that was divine. All too soon, it was time to rinse and the scratching sensation left as he focused on getting the shampoo out of your hair. 

He had you lift your head back up again slightly as he worked the conditioner into your ends. “How did you learn how to take care of hair without it getting trapped in your joints? If you don’t mind my asking, that is.” 

“Well, The First Time Was A Nightmare. It Did Get Trapped And It Took Me Hours To Get It Out. But Now I Focus My Magic On The Joints To Make Something Like A Protective Covering. I Have It Covering The Spaces Between My Bones, Too.” He rinsed off his hand and gave it to you. You were able to move your fingers enough to feel what he meant. It was almost like acrylic with how smooth it was, but it gave and flexed like seran wrap. The most interesting bit though was that it had a pale orange tone. “Your magic is orange?” “Yes, Before The Barrier Broke, My Magic Was White, Though I Could Use Blue Magic, Too. Once We Got Up Here, Our Magics Took Different Colors That Correspond With Our Soul’s Main Trait. For Me, The Orange You See Is Bravery.” You took that in while he took his hand back and finished rinsing the last of the conditioner from your ends. “Do humans have a color?” 

“Yes, But I Can’t See Your Color Without Pulling You Into An Encounter. Sans Can Though. Maybe You Should Ask Him In The Morning.” You hummed at that. Encounters were one of those things that your parents made sure were illegal as soon as they found out about them. Same deal with Monsters being allowed to use magic. Technically, when Papyrus used green magic on you, he had broken a law. You weren’t going to say anything though. The life debt that you owed them more than bought your silence. 

Papyrus had you sit up and he slid a towel under your hair before drying it and wrapping it in a towel to keep it off your shoulders. 

“Now, I’m Going To Stand You Up. Put Your Arms Over My Shoulders So I Can Remove Your Dress. Once It Can Fall, I Will Place You Back On The Stool.” He waited for you to nod. “On The Count Of Three. One. Two. Three.” On three, you stood up with his help and put your arms on his shoulders for balance. Your sundress came down quickly and pooled at your feet. He then made sure you were good to sit before removing your dress from the floor. 

“I’m Going To Start With Your Neck And Shoulders And The Visible Parts Of Your Arms.” He told you as he wet a washcloth and put a bit of soap on it. Just like he said, he followed the path he mentioned. “Now Lift Your Arms.” You did. After each pathing, he rinsed the cloth and added new soap. As he worked, he told you the path he would take. His thoughtfulness was making you feel a bit better. The cloth scrubbed a bit at your armpits and then down your sides and back, being careful of the broken rib and all the visible scrapes and cuts on you.

“I’m Going To Clean Your Chest and Stomach now.” He gently moved your arms out of the way, one at a time, and made sure to wipe down every inch of your skin. You were embarrassed, but he made sure to avert his eyes as much as he could while still making sure you were clean. 

“Next Will Be Your Leg And Foot, And Then I Will Work Up.” The foot and leg wasn’t too bad, but when he had you spread your legs, you were mortified. He made quick work and made sure not to linger. Though he did have you stand again to wash your backside. You were finally clean. But then You realized that he hadn’t rinsed you yet. Papyrus was quick about it though and as soon as you were dried, he had you in a clean sleeveless dress. Though you did make him leave for a moment as you really had to pee. Wiping wasn’t easy, but you managed to make yourself feel clean enough afterwards. 

You called him back in and he carefully navigated you into your wheelchair and pushed you out of the bathroom towards your bedroom. You found it hard to look at him. The first person who had seen your adult body naked. 

“What Time Do You Want To Wake Up, Human?” He wasn’t looking much at you either. 

“Um, I usually wake up around sunrise. Or, I was when I was hiking. That’s not too early for you, is it?” He pulled your covers back and adjusted your pillows to still have your arms and leg elevated, but where you’d have a kinder angle on your hips while still maintaining support for the broken rib. “No, I’m Up Before Then For My Morning Run. I Will Wake You When I Start Breakfast.” 

Once the bed was to his standards, he very easily picked you up like a princess and laid you down, careful not to jostle you too much. Papyrus pulled the covers up over you and then, remembering that you had medication you needed to take, put the pills in a small serving cup. You took them as he tipped them into your mouth and gave you a sip of water through a straw. 

“Do You Need Anything Else Tonight, Human?” He stood at your door, his hand on the light switch. “No, thank you. Have a goodnight and sweet dreams.” He wished you the same and turned off your lights, closing the door behind them. It was hard to believe that just this morning, you had been at the hospital. It felt like so much had happened since then. 

You debated about calling Mother so that they knew you’d be a bit later getting home than you anticipated, but you knew that she’d send someone to bring you back before you finished your travels. You really didn’t want to give up halfway. So maybe it was for the best that you didn’t mention it. It was easier to just close your eyes than think about what your Mother and Father would want to do about your situation. It was better just to sleep and take it a day at a time. Hopefully tonight though, your dreams wouldn’t be about the futures you knew you couldn’t have. And maybe the strange character you dreamed about before would come back speaking in a language that you know. You had a feeling he was someone important. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this! We'll get more time with everyone soon enough. I struggle with writing conversation the most but I will get better one of these days lol. Also, Let me know if you want these chapters to stay about this length or if you want them shorter. I personally prefer longer chapters so I'm writing how I'd them, but I want to cater a bit to you guys so give me your feedback. 
> 
> Also, if you notice any typos or mistakes, please know that I don't have a beta reader and I try to edit this as I write. Please let me know what you find


	3. To Your Strength

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone! Here is Chapter three!  
> Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos. And thank you everyone who left me some suggestions.  
> I do want to address/answer/ some of you and then explain my reasoning behind my choices.  
> 1) I think that whenever Gaster shows back up, I won't translate for him, my reason being is that the Reader has no way of knowing what is being said. I feel like my leaving a translation sort of takes away from the believability of the reader not knowing what is said. Please feel free to look up what he's actually saying if you want, it just won't be something I will be including so long as the reader doesn't understand WingDings.  
> 2) Because of how the Reader has been raised, she tends to daydream a lot, simply because she doesn't have much control of her day-to-day life. She understands that her daydreams are just that, and that they'll never be a reality for her since her whole life has been planned out to the letter.  
> Thank you everyone for all your kind words <3 
> 
> Also, I think I'm going to put down a theme song for each chapter so you can kind of see what influences me when I write. Since songs do cause me to make a lot of unintended decisions.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUWu744yhjA

You wake up from a dreamless night, your back aching from being in the same position for so long. Looking out of the bedroom window, you can see that it’s still dark outside, the sky only just beginning to turn a soft shade of blue. 

A soft knock was at your door and after you acknowledged it, Papyrus came in. He was already dressed for the day with a brightly colored orange workout shirt which read ‘Cool Dude’ on it and some jogging shorts. A headband sat on his skull.

“Good Morning, Human. I Hope You Had A Restful Evening.” 

He softly pulled the covers back from you before picking you up and carefully depositing you into your wheelchair. Turning away from you, he quickly makes your bed, pulling your covers tight and removing any wrinkles that you had put in them during the night. Once your bed was made to his satisfaction, he pushed you from the room, closing the door behind the both of you. One thing was certain when you thought about the tall and normally boisterous skeleton: the gentle care he gave you was perfect for patients and you greatly appreciated his calm and friendly bedside manner. Once he got through medical school, you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would make a terrific nurse. 

He pushed you down the hallway and into the bathroom before giving you a moment of privacy for you to do your business. Another gentle knock and he came in once you let him know you were ready. Papyrus helped you wash your hands while keeping your cast dry. 

“Human, Take Your Medicine. The Six Hours Are Up From Your Last Dose.” He dropped the pill in your mouth and then got you water from one of the tiny disposable cups on the side of the sink. You took it without complaint, although you did tell Papyrus that the longer you could go without the medicine would be optimal. 

“This one in particular can cause an addiction.” You explained. Your caretaker nodded and promised that he would wait for you to ask him next time so long as it had been at least six hours since your most recent dose.

From under the sink counter, he pulled out your hairbrush before slowly detangling your locks. “Would You Like For Me To Tie Up Your Hair?” 

“Yes, please.” He put it up into a simple ponytail, before twisting the tail and wrapping it where it was tied, making a fairly decent bun. You watched him in the mirror.

“Where did you learn how to do hair, Papyrus? Seems like you have a talent for this.” He flushed orange at your words. 

“Mutt Showed Me. For Some Reason, He’s Absolutely Fixated On The Stuff. I Don’t Think That This Is For Me, Though.” 

“That’s perfectly fine. Leave some talents for everyone else.” You grinned up at him, a small teasing lilt in your words. He gave a small ‘nyeh’ which was really too cute before pushing you out of the bathroom and down the hall. 

Blue, Edge, and Black were all in the kitchen eating breakfast. Papyrus wheeled you in between Blue and Edge before going to collect his plate and one for you. 

“GOOD MORNING, HUMAN! IT’S GOOD TO SEE THAT YOU ARE AN EARLY RISER LIKE THE REST OF US!”

“Good morning, Blue. I hope you had a restful evening. And same to you, Mr. Edge, Mr. Black.” Black looked up at you and then back to his newspaper. It seemed like that would be the extent of his acknowledgement for you. Edge was looking at you though, a pensive look on his face. 

“GOOD MORNING, WHELP. GO AHEAD AND EAT UP BEFORE WE START THE TRAINING OF YOUR FRAIL BONES. DON’T KEEP ME WAITING!” He had finished his food and stood up. Edge turned away from you and towards the sink, quickly washing his dishes and drying them. He stalked out of the room a moment later. Papyrus sat down in the seat vacated by Edge and picked up a bite of scrambled eggs on a fork. He brought it to your lips and you took the bite. The eggs were delicious. 

“You’re Going To Actually Train With Us This Morning?” He switched forks and took a bite of his breakfast. 

“If that isn’t too much of a problem. With me sitting down for the next month, my muscles are going to weaken substantially. I’d like to at least keep up the muscles in the one limb that survived the fall.”

“WELL, AS LONG AS YOU DON’T PUSH IT TOO MUCH, YOU SHOULD BE FINE. IF HE STARTS BEING MEAN, YOU LET US KNOW, MAIDEN.”  _ Maiden?  _ You looked at Blue. It didn’t look as though he had even registered giving you the nickname. He was smiling at you and you returned it. 

“Certainly, Blue. I appreciate you looking out for me. You as well, Papyrus.” Not for the first time since coming here, you thought that you were incredibly fortunate that you had survived that fall to meet these super sweet skeletons. 

Black stood and rolled up his newspaper before tossing it in the trash and washing his hands. He was dressed similarly to the other more energetic skeletons, you noticed. Although his workout attire was all black with red highlights on the seams. It matched the bandana around his neck. 

“Out of curiosity, how bad is it if one of you were to break a bone? Is it at least easier to heal since you can get to it?” you asked the nicer boys around you. Papyrus gave you your next bite of eggs. 

“It Can Be Pretty Bad. It Hurts A Lot And We Leak Marrow Everywhere And Lining Up The Bone Can Be A Challenge From All The Dust That Weakens The Edges. We Don’t Have Fleshy Bits To Sort Of Hold Everything In Place. However, We’re Good About Not Getting More Than Small Cracks.” Papyrus explained to you. 

“Have any of you ever broken a bone like I have? I believe the nurse mentioned my leg being a compound fracture and one arm was an oblique and the other was a comminuted?” 

“That Sounds Correct.” Papyrus dug around in a pouch on the other side of your wheelchair and pulled out a yellow manilla folder, his fork hanging from his teeth as he looked through the papers. After a moment, he held up your X-rays to the kitchen light and once he found what he was looking for, he showed you. Blue leaned closer to see. 

“Yes, Here Is The Break In Your Leg. Your Poor Little Fibula…” You almost chuckled at how soft his voice dropped before looking back at the pictures of your bones. You had yet to see them. Papyrus put down the pictures of your leg bone and picked up the next one. He held it up and suddenly flushed a very bright orange, almost the same color of his shirt. 

“WHAT WAS THAT ONE, PAPYRUS?” Blue was looking intently at his friend. 

“T-THAT- THAT..MOST CERTAINLY WAS NOT HER RIBS.”  _ Smooth, Papyrus. Smooth.  _ Tiny beads of orange sweat rolled down his temple, completely under where his sweatband sat. 

“Are ribs..uh..inappropriate content for monsters to see?” You were entirely confused at Papyrus’s reaction. Blue flushed and you didn’t think it possible, but the orange on Papyrus grew. His whole skull was orange and it was now creeping down his neck. 

“I B-believe That It’s T-the Same As Being Seen Shirtless.” Your tall caretaker stuttered before a look of horror crossed his face. 

“HUMAN, PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I DIDN’T MEAN TO OOGLE YOUR BONES! WHAT A POOR NURSE I AM! NYOO HOO HOO!” He hid his face in his hands. 

“H-hey, uh, Paps. It was an accident. We didn’t know where it was. I’m sorry you had to see that.” You really wanted to comfort him but you didn’t know how. Your eyes turned to Blue and you mouthed, “ _ How do we help him?” _ His face was still flushed blue, but it was very slight as to what it had been seconds ago. 

“PAPYRUS, THE MAIDEN ISN’T UPSET WITH YOU! MISTAKES HAPPEN! IT’S NOT OKAY BUT NO ONE BLAMES YOU. WE’LL JUST BE MORE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE.” The sobs had slowed down but hadn’t fully stopped. Blue continued with his comfort, this time an arm went around Papyrus’s shoulders. “OH! I KNOW! NEXT TIME, LET MAIDEN LOOK AT THEM FIRST AND THEN SHE CAN TELL US IF IT’S OK FOR US TO SEE IT!” With that, Papyrus started to calm down. At the very least, the guilty sobs came to a stop. 

His voice was really soft when he finally spoke. “You’re not mad? I didn’t hurt you?”  _ He thought he  _ **_hurt_ ** _ you? He’s so precious. _

“I’m not mad, and you didn’t hurt me. Thank you for worrying about me. I was more worried about you, you know. I’m sorry you had to see that. It must have been very uncomfortable for you.” You reached out for one of his hands in the very limited way that you could. It was enough and you softly rubbed the back of his hand in comfort. Slowly, the guilt left his eye lights. 

“We Should Go See Edge Before We Keep Him Waiting Any Longer.” Papyrus said, standing up quickly and getting behind your chair. He navigated you out of the kitchen and through the back door. 

Edge and Black were already going at it, and roughly at that, you might add. You almost couldn’t keep up with their movements as they dodged, blocked, and swung giant bones at each other. Every hit that failed to make contact with its intended target left a small crater where it did connect with the ground. In all honesty, it was terrifying to watch. However, neither Blue nor Papyrus seemed to think of it as strange. 

The boys left you on the grass as they jogged over to the more extreme skeletons. Once they made it there, Edge and Black split from each other and divided their attention to the newcomers. Black attacked Papyrus, who seemed to be just as strong as Edge had been. His attacks weren’t as vicious as Black’s, but he still was easily holding his own. 

Blue was doing just as well as Papyrus was against Edge. It was astounding how well matched they were. You watched them spar for nearly half an hour, unable to determine who was actually the strongest of the group. 

The fight shifted, and then there was a fight between Papyrus, Blue, and Black. They hadn’t formed teams against each other, but they were all fighting the other two. Edge strode confidently towards you, not even the slightest bit out of breath from the onslaught that Blue had put on him. 

“WRETCH! IT IS TIME FOR YOUR TRAINING! STAND UP.” He ordered. You shot him a look but tried your best. It took you a moment but you were able to stand on your good leg after struggling to maintain your balance. At the very least, you were glad that you had taken your prescription. You were sure that that would have been quite a bit harder if you could feel most of your pain. The bit you were still feeling wasn’t debilitating, but you knew it was only a tiny fraction. 

“FASTER THIS TIME.” He barked at you. 

“Aye, Aye, Mon Capitan.” You sat down in your chair quickly before attempting to stand again. You didn’t notice the very soft flush of red on his zygomatic arches. It was still difficult and apparently you hadn’t done it fast enough as he told you to do it many more times. Eventually though, you couldn’t really do it anymore. You had started to get faster but then you had slowed down quickly as your muscles grew fatigued. 

“ONCE MORE, HUMAN.” 

“Mr. Edge, I don’t believe that I can stand anymore.” You gave it an attempt. Your breath was coming out quickly and sweat was on your brow. You bunched your screaming muscles and tried to stand. You didn’t get far though as your muscles hit their limit. 

“I DON’T RECALL GIVING YOU PERMISSION TO QUIT, WHELP. YOU WILL STAND.” The pain in your legs was beginning to get on your nerves. You had been patient up until now, not having once complained about the standing exercise, and the thanks lay entirely in the social training that had been grilled into you since you were a child. But even still, your patience could run out given enough time. 

“ _ Mr. Edge. _ I insist. I do not have the energy to stand again.” You argued. It had no effect. 

“YOU WILL STAND. IF YOU HAVE THE ENERGY TO RUN YOUR MOUTH, YOU HAVE THE ENERGY TO STAND.” You grit your teeth. You were getting annoyed at his stubbornness. He had done nothing but tell you to do this singular exercise over and over. 

“Sir, I am at my limit. I don’t know how else to tell you this.” 

“DON’T TELL ME. I DON’T CARE. STAND, YOU WORTHLESS BRAT.” That was  _ it. _ Fueled by rage, you glared right into his eye lights. 

“How  _ dare you? _ Me? ‘Worthless?’ I have done everything that you have asked without complaint and with the utmost respect because I was under the impression you deserved it.” 

“SO GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU KNOW YOUR PLACE. TAKING ORDERS. SHOULD MAKE YOU INTO A SERVANT. IT WOULD BE THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT. OR MAYBE YOU CAN’T, YOU’RE WEAK AND WORTHLESS, AFTERALL.” 

Your fingers dug into the casts on your arms. You were shaking. “You..are  _ sorely  _ mistaken, sir, if you think that my place is taking orders from an entitled child! Or that I’m going to stick around you spewing disrespect at me.” His face was closer to you, and you noticed that he looked smug as hell. “What the actual  _ fuck _ is your problem? So I stopped doing your ridiculous and inane task. That gives you no right to insult me like you know me!” 

“DON’T LIKE IT? WELL GOOD. NOW I KNOW HOW TO MAKE YOU STAND WHEN YOU’RE QUITTING.” That took the wind out of your sails. What was he going on about?

“What are you talking about?” 

“LOOK DOWN, HUMAN.” You did, even though you didn’t want to listen to him anymore. You were shocked to see that you were no longer sitting in your chair, instead, you were standing tall on your good leg.  _ Huh..would you look at that..you did have the energy after all… _

“Y-you deliberately upset me to make me stand up?” 

“OF COURSE. I DON’T DO SILLY LITTLE PEP TALKS. I’LL PISS YOU OFF UNTIL YOU WANT TO BASH MY SKULL IN. IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE IT, WE’RE DONE HERE FOR GOOD. IF YOU’RE NOT A WORTHLESS BRAT, I WILL SEE YOU OUT HERE SAME TIME TOMORROW. 87 IS YOUR RECORD.” With that, he turned away from you towards the others who were beginning to show signs of exhaustion. Their forms had gotten more sloppy and you could see the sweat on top of their skulls. You didn’t blame them. With a groan, you carefully lowered yourself into your wheelchair. Well, you tried. Your good leg gave out under you and you fell into your chair a bit harder than you would have liked. The sudden hard movement caused you to jostle your broken rib. You sucked in a breath at the pain, but the movement of your lungs filling so quickly intensified it. 

It took you a moment, but you did wind up catching your breath as the pain dissipated. Looking up, you could see the three of them ganging up on Edge. He wasn’t tired in the slightest, but holding off the others was taking a bit of a toll on him. Blue and Black were really good with distracting him, while Papyrus would come in from above or behind. Then the rolls would reverse with Papyrus and Blue being the distraction while Black would score a hit against the taller skeleton. 

Watching them helped you let go of the rest of the anger that Edge had made you feel. You weren’t one to lose your temper and you were ashamed that he had been able to touch your nerves like that. But thinking about it, it made sense. You hadn’t trained up those nerves the way you had your other ones. The ones that ignored and deflected unwanted advances. Never in your life though had you been called ‘worthless.’ That was probably because of your family’s position in life. Don’t insult the heir to the fortune, especially if they’re wanting to continue their career after your father passes away. 

But perhaps in a way, Edge was right. You had never done anything for yourself, other than this one trip that is. Otherwise, you’ve followed the script of your life that your father had laid out for you. And you were going to continue on that path. You had no drive to do anything else. Just...a good little puppet. Worthless. You let out a cynical chuckle. No wonder Edge had made you so angry, he had read you like a book in only a few interactions. At least your identity wasn’t known. That would be very bad. Let him just think that you were some regular spoiled rich kid. 

In your musings, you didn’t notice the others finishing up their sparring. Papyrus and Blue had gone harder at Edge than they normally do. They heard you yelling at the tall skeleton, and while they were familiar with his training tactics -- the same ones that Edge uses on them, they didn’t like that it had made you so upset. Papyrus especially. You were injured, for star’s sake. You didn’t need to be pushing yourself that far, you might reinjure yourself! 

Green magic could only do so much on humans. It would heal magical injuries quickly enough, but your injuries weren’t based on intent. Yours were a physical accident. All it could do for you is take some of the pain away. You’d still be in your casts for a few more weeks. But if Edge kept pushing you, you’d have to stay in them longer. He didn’t mind being your caretaker at all, however, he wanted you to be comfortable, and your bones to no longer be broken. 

They finished with their training and Papyrus walked over to you while the others went inside to shower. You had your eyes closed and your breathing was even, but in a controlled way. It was enough to let him know that you weren’t asleep. 

“Are You Ready To Go Back Inside?” You opened your eyes to see Papyrus looking down at you. He looked worn out but he still had the energy to smile at you. You returned it. 

“Yes, thank you. You were impressive out there.” You told him as he started to push you inside the large house. 

“NYEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE YOU WOULD THINK SO, FRIEND! THANK YOU FOR NOTICING HOW I EXCEL AT MY WORKOUT!” You jumped slightly at his raised volume, not quite prepared for it. But it seems like the genuine compliment was enough to make the excitable monster feel more comfortable around you. It warmed your heart, just a bit. 

“How could I not notice? You’re really cool, Paps.”

“GASP! A COMPLIMENT FROM THE SOUL! AND A NICKNAME AT THE SAME TIME! SANS, DID YOU HEAR THE TINY HUMAN?!” He left you in the living room, running up some stairs that you assumed lead to Sans’s room. That reaction was adorable, not that you’d tell him. However, the reaction did leave a smile on your face. 

“MAIDEN, DID PAPYRUS LEAVE YOU HERE ALONE?” You recognized Blue’s voice as he walked up from behind you. 

“Yeah, though I think he’ll be back soon?” You didn’t sound too sure about it. 

“WELL, WOULD YOU A REFRESHING WIPE DOWN WITH A COOL CLOTH?” He held out a damp cloth. The coolness did seem like it would feel good, especially with the slight sweat that you had worked up with Edge. 

“That sounds amazing, thank you so much.” 

“MWEH HEH. ANYTIME MAIDEN.” Blue was gentle with the cloth, carefully wiping down your face and neck before taking care of your shoulders and the calf of your good leg. The coolness of the cloth felt heavenly against your skin. It had been on the warmer side outside and was very humid. It was very refreshing. 

“MAIDEN, IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR SHOULDERS MIGHT BE A BIT RED. WERE YOU OUTSIDE TOO LONG?” 

“They feel alright from what I can tell. Nothing hurt when you touched them. How warm are they?” You felt his hand touch your skin. You didn’t notice any sensitivity nor a major temperature difference.

“THEY’RE WARM BUT NOT HOT. IS THAT GOOD?” Poor Blue sounded concerned for you. 

“Yeah, Blue, that’s fine. It’ll darken up in a day or so but I shouldn’t peel or anything like that.” Apparently that was not the right thing to say. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘PEEL’? DOES YOUR SKIN COME OFF?! OH NO, HOW DO WE NOT LET THAT HAPPEN? SHOULD WE KEEP YOUOUTOFTHESUN?  _ I’VENEVERHADTODEALWITHTHISBEFOREIDONTKNOWWHATTODO!” _

“Blue, Blue, look at me. Hey. Blue. BLUE. Look at me.” He did eventually look at you, soft baby blue tears forming at the corner of his sockets. “Peeling is not that big of a deal. When humans get burns, the burned skin usually stays in place for a few days while the skin under it works on healing and getting stronger. When the body is ready, the burnt skin starts to peel since it’s dead. The new, healthy skin underneath can then become the new outer layer. From what I can feel, my skin got more toasted, not burned. Kind of like a marshmallow. It’ll darken, tan up, and then it’ll act as a better barrier against the ultraviolet sun rays. So relax, my skin knows what to do to take care of this.” 

“ARE YOU SURE, MAIDEN?” 

“I’m positive, Blue. This isn’t the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last.” He didn’t really look convinced. “How about this? The next time I go to the store, I’ll pick up some sunscreen and I’ll put it on everytime we go out to train. Ok?” 

“THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE. I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR SKIN PEELING OFF. IT SOUNDS PAINFUL.” 

“You know, there’s some people that say it feels good. The dead skin gets itchy. It’s nice to get it off. I think I heard it from my family’s landscaper since he’s always getting sunburned.” 

“THAT’S REALLY DISTURBING. I STILL DON’T WANT TO SEE IT HAPPEN TO YOU.”

“I agree, Blue.I don’t really want to put up with it either.”   
“ANYWAYS, MAIDEN, I’M GOING TO DROP THIS OFF WITH THE LAUNDRY. I WILL SEE YOU LATER.” Blue gave your head a pat before walking off down a hallway with the cloth he used to cool you down with. You didn’t really feel clean, by any means, but you didn’t feel as gross and sticky as you had before he took care of you. Honestly the kindness of these skeletons was something of a marvel. You had never really met anyone before that wasn’t nice without the underlying expectation that you or your family would do something for them. 

You had gotten caught up in your head that you didn’t hear someone walk into the room you were in until his gruff voice pulled your attention, causing you to jump. 

“hey darlin’, m’lord is wanting ta go shoppin’ soon and wants ya ta come with. ya ready ta go now or nah?” Mutt was leaning on the handles of your chair and you shot him a small glare for startling you. He just smirked at you, not phased by your look in the slightest. 

“I suppose I’m ready to go. Not much else that I can wear. Though if you don’t mind, can you go in my backpack and pull out my wallet?” He gave you a look that you couldn’t make out but he walked away towards your room before returning a moment later, passing you your pocketbook. 

“Thank you, Mutt. So where are we going shopping?” 

“m’lord wants to get some more clothes.” You made a humming noise, letting him know that you heard him. You weren’t certain if you would find anything that would work for you and your casts, but you had no complaints going to look. If you found anything that you really liked, you’d mail it back home. 

It didn’t take Black all that long to meet you both at the garage door. 

“MUTT, TAKE US TO THE MALL.” The smaller skeleton ordered. With a very soft ‘yes, m’lord’, Mutt put his hand on your’s and his brother’s shoulders. With a twisting feeling in your gut and a brief stint through somewhere..something dark and weightless, you arrived in the shade of some trees at a massive shopping mall. You immediately felt nauseous. But after a moment, nothing happened, and slowly your stomach began to settle again. When you felt you could speak again, you asked the brothers, “Just what was that?” 

“shortcut.” 

“I DON’T USUALLY CONDONE THE USE OF SUCH LAZY TRANSPORTATION, HOWEVER, IN YOUR STATE, YOU COULDN’T HANDLE A RIDE ON MY MOTORCYCLE.” _ That was amazing!  _ You actually teleported.  _ THAT’S HOW HE GETS PAST ME SO OFTEN!  _ All those times that he was there and then he wasn’t, he teleported! 

Black led you towards the entrance, Mutt leaning his tall frame on your handles and walking behind his brother at a leisurely pace.You were fine with it until he pushed hard enough on the handles that the front wheels came off the ground. You couldn’t keep the gasp from escaping as you suddenly thought that you were going to fall. Black turned around and glared at his brother but ultimately didn’t say anything. Once you got used to the new sensation of leaning back, you were able to relax again. You’d expect this the next time he pushed you around. 

The shorter brother walked at a brisk pace to an expensive looking shop and immediately turned towards the women’s section of clothes. He immediately spotted some fancy looking dresses in a deep purple damask and began looking at them. They were definitely gorgeous, but you didn’t want to wear something so...much..while you weren’t in the presence of your family. Black did ultimately find some clothes that would work for you, even if they were all black or purple. It was obvious that he wanted you to match him, but that was no matter. The purple complimented your skin nicely and you were really pleased with the quality of the fabric. 

You also were able to find some other colors that you liked, like the wine red dress, or the blue that reminded you of the ocean on your vacation in the Bahamas. There was even a really pretty one that reminded you of emeralds that you couldn’t wait to get your hands on. 

After you had found a selection, Black then led you over to the men’s side to pick out some stuff for him. Everything he picked matched the colors he was already wearing, and with what he had picked out for you, you shouldn’t have been surprised. It didn’t take him as long as it did you though, and when you asked if he found everything he wanted, he just grumbled something about not enough of a selection for his standards. You didn’t understand that since this particular store actually had really nice clothes, but you didn’t pay it any mind. Instead, you paid for what you had picked out while Black insisted on purchasing the rest of the dresses he had picked out for you. It was easier just to let him. 

The mall itself wasn’t that busy, and you assumed that most people were probably at work considering it was still relatively early in the morning, just only a little past nine. 

“MUTT, TAKE HER TO A TABLE. I’M GOING TO GET SOME COFFEE. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME, HUMAN?”

“Yes, please. An espresso. Cafecito if they make it that way. If not, I’ll need a lot of sugar.” He gave you a nod before walking off. 

“So not that I’m unappreciative, but why did you guys want me to come shopping with you?” You asked the guard Mutt that was glaring at anyone that so much as looked your way. 

“m’lord wanted ta ask ya somethin’ withou’ tha others buttin’ in.” 

“Ahh, I see. Any hint on what the topic would be about?” He really wasn't giving you much to go on. 

“jus’ wait, yeah?” You sat back at that, his hand made its way to your knee. You didn’t have to wait long though. Black came back quickly with your coffees and sat across from you and Mutt. 

“SO HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE OUTING TODAY, HUMAN?” Black asked you. 

“I”ve enjoyed it. You’re fun to shop with. Though I do have to ask, why did you bother bringing me with you?” 

“STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, A GOOD QUALITY TO HAVE. VERY WELL.” Black leaned forwards, his voice lowering. “I Know Who You Are.” You felt your breath hitch just a bit but you worked hard to school your expression into one of confusion. 

“I’m not sure that I know what you mean, Mr. Black.” His eyes hardened at you. 

“Oh, I Am  _ Quite _ Sure That You Do.” He uttered your last name and you fought to keep your breathing under control. There was no way he could know, you had been so careful to keep your identity a secret. Your parents had only ever mentioned that they had a child, never even specifying your gender. There was no way Black could have discovered who you were. None whatsoever. 

“It Seems You Don’t Believe Me, So Perhaps I Should Continue. You Are The Daughter Of A Multi-Trillionaire Family. Your Father is Abraham And Controls The Entire United States Government From The Shadows. Your Mother is Rebekah, And She Married Your Father By An Arranged Marriage, Much Like You Are Supposed To Do To A Dante Prince, Heir To A Major Technological Company That Helped Cover The Illegal Activities Of Your Father. Your Family Is Exceptionally Anti-Monster And Is A Large Reason Why Monster Rights Are As Far Behind As They Are.” He kept talking, but there was no way that he could actually know this. What do you do? Do you continue to deny it? Even though at this point he knows you know? With a sigh, you gave it up. 

“So you found me out. I’m not going to even pretend like I know how you did it, considering I’ve been hiding it for years. So what now? Are you planning on taking me hostage? Extort my family for money?” Your back was straight, your head held high as you glared at the monster in front of you. Even if he had you pegged, you were not going to back down. 

“AND SET MY PEOPLE BACK EVEN FURTHER? I WOULD THINK NOT. IT WOULD BE IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO KEEP YOU AS AN ALLY.” You didn’t relax at his words, searching for anything that he was saying that could be a threat. “WHEN YOU RETURN HOME, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO HIRE ME INTO YOUR FAMILY’S SECURITY FORCE.” You weren’t sure that you believed him, or that it was safe to hire him considering how much he knew. But then again, if he decided to leak what he knew, it could put your family to ruin. You really didn’t have much of a choice. You let out a sigh. 

“You do realize that I’m not the one that hires anyone. That would be the estate manager, Ichabod Phillips.” 

“IT DOESN’T MATTER, SO LONG AS I’M HIRED.” He sat back and crossed his legs, looking at you with the ease of someone who has the entire situation under control. 

“Fine, dial the numbers that I’m about to give you and then let me speak.” Mutt pulled out his phone after a nod from his brother, typing in the phone number you provided. He then put it on speaker. You felt your nerves increasing as you heard ring after ring. You weren’t sure about this at all. After the fourth ring, the line was picked up. 

“Thank you for calling the main estate, this is Alfred. How may I direct your call?” The main secretary picked up, his familiar aged voice coming through the speakers clearly. 

“Hello Alfred, it’s y/n l/n. Can you please direct me to Ichabod?” A pause, and then Alfred spoke again. 

“Certainly, young mistress. It’ll only be a moment.” From there you were transferred, the line ringing again, this time to the estate manager’s personal line. 

“Ichabod Phillips.” Another old voice answered, though this one held a certain air of authority that Alfred’s didn’t. 

“Ichabod, it’s me. I have an interesting situation that you should consider.” 

“Yes, ma’am. Understood. Please continue.” 

“I have with me a person that would be a perfect fit for our security force. I’d like for you to conduct an interview remotely in three days time. I will have him send in his resume by the end of the day. You will ultimately have the final say in whether or not he gets the job, however, he is aware of who I am by his skills alone. I trust you to make the correct decision.” 

“I will be looking forward to it, young mistress. Is there anything else that I can do for you?” 

“Yes, please notify my father that I will be home later than intended by two months. If he asks why, I’ve broken my leg and a local doctor has instructed me to stay off of it until it heals. I will resume my trip as soon as I am out of my cast and able to walk. Under no circumstances is Mother to know about this.”

“Very well. Thank you for the update. I will let your father know immediately. Please heal quickly, young mistress.” He waited on the other line until you hung up. You faced Black who was looking at you cooly. You told him an email address and you could Mutt typing it out on his phone out of the corner of your eye. 

“Send your resume to him before the end of the day please. I cannot promise you that you will be hired, but I have given you the best possible chance. The rest relies on your own merits. Please do not make me regret this.” You were getting another headache from the tension. 

“Also, do not tell the others about this. This is a secret that needs to stay that way. If not for my safety, then for the safety of your family. I don’t think I need to tell you what would happen if other, less savory people, found out where I’m currently residing?” 

“VERY WELL. IF THAT IS ALL, LET US RETURN TO THE OTHERS. I WOULD NOT LIKE FOR THEM TO COME LOOKING FOR US.” He stood to leave, taking your cup and his to throw away. 

“Mr. Black, I need your word that neither you nor your brother will tell the others.” His eye lights landed on you, and you stared back at him. 

“OF COURSE, _ YOUNG MISTRESS. _ YOU HAVE MY WORD. MUTT, YOU WILL DO THE SAME.” He looked away from you, walking towards the garbage bins. 

“promise i won’ say nothin’, darlin.” You narrowed your eyes at him. You didn’t miss the loophole that he left in his promise. 

“Nor will you communicate in any other way that which you have learned about me in regards to my personal and/or familiar history.” He rolled his eyes at your words. 

“yeah yeah, sure. promise. yer secrets are safe with me n’ m’lord. n’ when he gets the gig, i’ll be yer dog, too. i go where m’lord goes.” you figured that was the best that you were going to get from him. Black was on his way back and he stopped in front of you. 

“While I’m on this trip, I’m no one special. No guards or dogs or guard dogs needed.” 

“UNDERSTOOD. MUTT, I’M READY TO GO. TAKE US BACK.” 

“yes, m’lord.” His hand landed on your shoulder and in a second, you were back at the skeleton’s home. The nausea hit you again, but this time not nearly as strong as it did the first time. It seemed like the more you travelled by teleportation, the easier it was getting for you to handle. Maybe you would have to try using it more often, just to see if the nausea would go away altogether. 

Black took the bags from the back of your wheelchair and brought them to your room. You were feeling anxious from earlier, and your tension headache still hadn’t gone away. 

As though noticing your discomfort, Mutt started rubbing the back of your neck. Somehow, even without having any muscles, he was able to start working out the knots at the base of your skull. You couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped your lips as he forced the tension out. His hands moved up to your scalp and he started to massage all the tiny muscles before working down the side of your skull and onto your face. You just leaned your head back against him, eyes closed, as he worked his magic on you. His knuckles worked out the knot next to where your jaw hinged. 

“Nevermind, Mutt, if you keep this up, I can use a guard dog.” You felt him chuckle softly behind you, his hands not yet stilling. Though when they did, you felt like a new woman. His hands went back to the back of your neck. 

“ya willin’ ta trust me, darlin’?” 

“If it’s going to make me feel as relaxed as that head massage, then yes.” You still hadn’t opened your eyes. 

“r’lax yer neck. lemme move ya.” You thought that was a weird request, but you gave the control over to him. He moved your head around for a moment, and it felt like his phalanges were searching for something under your skin. A moment later, he jerked your head to the left and you felt your neck pop. 

Your eyes shot open and you froze, scared that he had just tried to kill you. But you relaxed when you didn’t feel any pain. You actually felt...really good. That felt nice. You kinda wanted it to happen again. 

“i take it ya nev’r had an a’justmen’ b’fore? yer fine, jus’ pushed yer joints ta correct ‘em. yer head’s been leanin’ since ya got ‘ere. one of yer shoulders is higher than the other, too, bu’ i won’ touch that until yer outta those casts.” He slowly let go of your head, allowing you to straighten up. It felt so much looser and better. Almost like he put a whole new neck on you. 

“I’ll be looking forward to that, I do believe.” A red orange blush that reminded you of rust crossed his cheekbones. He tried to smirk through it, but it was obvious he wasn’t expecting you to say what you did. Mutt gave the back of your neck a gentle squeeze before removing his hand. When you looked for him, he was gone. 

“I can’t believe teleporting is actually a thing with these guys.” 

You didn’t quite know what you should be doing. It was only midmorning and you hadn’t seen any of the other skeletons. Would they be upset if you turned on their television? 

You decided to risk it. Carefully you picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned it to the news station. It was all stuff that you were already familiar with. There were a few more things being mentioned that had happened after you had left home, but you knew your father was already all over it. Over all though, there wasn’t anything super gripping about it. Nothing that screamed emergency. Nothing that wasn’t already expected. 

It wasn’t long until Sans came down the stairs and plopped down face first on the couch beside you. 

“anything good on, kid?” his voice was muffled by the fabric, but you could still hear him well enough. 

“Not anything that I know of. Want to pick something?” You offered him the remote and his hand snaked over the side of the couch to take it from you. He flipped through a few channels until he landed on a stand-up comedy channel. Someone named John Mulaney was joking about a horse in a hospital, and when you caught on that it was about a former president, you couldn’t help but laugh. It really was true. Even the people that voted for him couldn’t really argue since many of them voted for him since he wasn’t a career politician. Too bad he actually got into office thanks to your father. You had really disagreed with that decision of his in particular. Not that you voiced it. You really didn’t want to have your father talk down to you about it. 

The jokes moved on eventually to something less politically charging, and you were able to enjoy the comedy. There were some parts that had you in tears from laughing so hard. He was a really talented comedian. Maybe you should book him for a performance the next time he was available? Nah, he’d probably do better with a full crowd to please instead of just one person staring at him.

You looked over at Sans to see that he was laughing just as hard as you were sometimes. There was clearly mirth in his eyes, though you felt like he appreciated the jokes more than you could. Something about an artist recognizing another artist’s work. 

Stretch soon came down the stairs and joined you both in the living room, getting his own laughs from the professional jokester. All too soon, the comedy special was over. Though when it started on again, you watched the first part since you had missed some of it. The first half was just as great as the last half. Once the material started to repeat, Sans and Stretch both kind of took over with the joke telling, though their humor was more based off of puns and other wordplay that they could bounce off of each other. 

Eventually, in the midst of your laughter, your stomach growled which prompted more laughing from the boys when they realized that you were hungry. You couldn’t help the flush on your face, you didn’t even know why you were embarrassed about the sound. 

“come on, kid. let’s getcha some grub.” Sans got up from the couch and pushed you into the kitchen, Stretch following you both. He left you near the island in the kitchen and started to dig around in the fridge before bringing out some ketchup and something, or rather, several somethings, in a package that looked like a weird smooth meat tube. 

“Um, what is that?” You asked. Sans followed your gaze to his hand. 

“oh, this? it’s some apostrophe dogs. ya know, spelled like ‘dogs. and this is a hotcat.” You had no idea what an apostrophe dog was, nor a hotcat. Your confusion must have shown on your face, plain for all to see. “it’s based on your humans’ hot dogs. but it’s made from water sausages, so no meat. same deal with the hotcat.” He put them in a pan on the stove and started cooking the whole package. Stretch dropped the bread next to him before taking some out. 

“anything on yours, honey?” he looked over his shoulder at you, holding up some ketchup, honey, and mustard. 

“I’m not sure what goes on it as I’ve never had a hotdog, either. I guess give me a little of everything on my plate, please?” 

“sure. anything to drink?” 

“Water will be fine, thank you.” A few minutes later, you had two apostrophe dogs on your plate. One of them was coated in a glowing honey color and you watched as it dipped itself into the mustard and raised itself to your lips. You opened your mouth around it and took a bite. It had a weird rubbery texture, almost like that of mushrooms, but the last was good. It worked well with the mustard. Once you swallowed, it dipped into the ketchup and you took another bite. It tasted just as good as it did with the mustard. Finally, it dipped into the honey. The sweetness was a good match with the taste. You couldn’t quite figure out which one you liked more though. They were all really good. You told the boys as much, so as you ate, Stretch would mix up which condiment he dunked the apostrophe dog in. 

“so did you have fun with training?” Sans eventually asked you. 

“I don’t know if fun was the right word, but it was productive. And It’s given me something else to work on.” They both looked at you, curious. “So I’m really good with controlling my emotions when it comes to certain situations, however, Edge managed to find out which of my nerves I hadn’t trained. So now that I know about it, I’m going to work on it so that he can’t make me upset anymore.”

“do you, uh, want us to talk to him?” Sans asked you. You shook your head. 

“No. He used it for training. Once I passed my limit, he was done antagonizing me. Honestly I was surprised that he didn’t yell back at me when I raised my voice.” 

“that is weird. seems like he was pleased that he made you mad..” muttered Stretch. Red picked that moment to walk into the kitchen. 

“ya lost control, kitten. he didn’t. meaning that in his mind, he won and you lost. if ya learn how to channel that anger, he’ll be more proud than smug.” He fixed himself some of the food that Sans cooked before covering the whole thing in mustard. When he turned to face you guys, he spoke again. 

“when ya learn how ta control yerself ta his standards, he’ll change how he trains ya.” He took a bite out of his mustard dog. “a warning though,” Red said with food in his mouth, “ if ya don’t catch on fast, he’ll actually start ta get mad at yer lack o’ progress.” 

“wait, doesn’t that mean that your bro loses all the time then? he’s always mad.” Stretch looked at Red. 

“it’s a bit different. he gets mad, yeah, but he’s not losin’ his temper. he’s still in control of himself. showin’ aggression and arguin’ don’t mean he’s not already calculatin’ what he wants ta say or do next. if he ever actually loses his temper, all of us need ta run until he calms down.” 

“shit, i never knew just how much he was holding himself back. that’s pretty cool though, not as cool as my bro, but still cool.” Stretch admitted. Sans was sitting back looking up at the ceiling. Almost like he couldn’t believe just how much Edge was doing to keep himself from blowing up. He did make a hum that sounded like he was agreeing with Stretch. 

“so i heard the mutt talking about how ya went to the mall with them. how’d that go, honey?” Stretch asked you, turning the conversation away from Edge. 

“It went pretty well, all things considering. We found me a few more dresses that I can slip on over my casts, and Mr. Black found a few things that he liked. We then all had coffee and came back here.” Stretch shot you a look but you didn’t know what it meant so you let it go. 

“he didn’t give ya a hard time, did he, kid?” Sans had caught Stretch’s look. 

“I don’t believe so, at least, not anything that would be outside of his usual temperament. Though I can only base that off of the little bit I’ve seen from him. At the very least, it’s nothing that you need to worry about.” You flashed the boys a sweet smile. They seemed to relax a little bit at what you said. Although, it appeared to you that you need to keep an eye on what you say and how you say it. This is twice now that you‘ve told a half-truth and Stretch has reacted. You would have to be very careful, indeed. More so than you had been in the past. It was a mistake that Black and Mutt had found out about you and you were determined to keep it a secret from the rest of them. But if you didn’t keep an eye on Stretch, you had a feeling that he would be the next one to find out. Maybe it was time you started practicing better deflections. You didn’t really care for them, since it felt too much like a cop-out that your father tends to use. But either that, or you’d have to sacrifice tact for bluntness. Or...maybe you wouldn’t...

“Sans, if it makes you feel better, I’ll let you know if something happens that is outside my ability to handle. Same with you, Stretch, Red. So, thank you for your concern, but our outing today was something that I was able to handle.” You started to push yourself away from the kitchen island back towards your room with your good leg. 

“Oh, and Stretch?” You watched as he straightened up to look at you, “Just because I choose to omit details, doesn’t mean that I’m lying with the intent to hurt you or your family. I omit things because I prefer to keep my conversations private. If I want to share something with you, I will. So please, don’t look that way at me because I don’t spill every detail.” You finished pushing yourself into the living room and you were grateful when you saw Papyrus. He was dusting the tops of some furniture that you could never hope to reach, even with a step ladder. 

“Hey, Paps, can you help me with something, please? When you’re done. No rush.” 

“CERTAINLY, FRIEND! JUST LET ME FINISH WITH THIS BIT AND THEN I’LL GLADLY ASSIST YOU.” It didn’t take him long at all to finish up. He put down his cleaning cloth and the furniture polish before walking over to you. 

“WHAT CAN I HELP YOU WITH?” 

“I’d like to go into my room and listen to one one of my audiobooks. I just need help getting the headphones in my ears.” He started to push you to your room. 

“OH! OK! SO WHAT AUDIOBOOK ARE YOU LISTENING TO?” 

“It’s called the Sharing Knife. It’s a fantasy/romance series. Basically, a group of mysterious peoples called Lakewalkers go around with two knives. One is primed with the suicide of a previous Lakewalker be it because they’re too old to fight anymore, or too injured. The primed knife is used to kill an evil entity called a Malice. The other knife is not primed, but it’s made from a bone of the Lakewalker that will use it to end their own life. Then the next generation of Lakewalkers will eventually use the newly primed knife in battle against evil.” 

“AND Uh...How Is This A Romance?” Once inside your room, he dug through your bag for your headphones and phone. You weren’t sure if he realized that he transitioned from his usual boisterous self to a more quiet and subdued version. 

“Oh, one of the main character’s is a young pregnant woman who winds up losing her unborn child to the Malice. Then a Lakewalker saves her. However, the unprimed knife takes on her unborn child’s essence and she’s brought back to a Lakewalker settlement to figure out why that happened. So then a romance ensues between the young woman and the Lakewalker.” 

“It Sounds Interesting, But It Doesn’t Seem Like Something I Would Like. I Wouldn’t Mind Reading The First Chapter Just To See, Though.” 

“Sure, any time, Paps. Though you know you’re allowed to not like the same things I do, right? If you’re not interested, you don’t have to pretend that you are for my sake.”

“It’s Not That I Don’t Like Reading, It’s Just That Sometimes The Letters And Words Get Mixed Up And It Stops Making Sense. I Think Sans Mentioned That I Might Have What You Humans Call Dyslexia.” 

“If that’s the case, would you like to listen to chapter one with me? It might be more comfortable for you.” The sweetheart shook his head before carefully pushing the ear buds into your ears. 

“I Can Wait Until You Are Done. Yell If You Need Me, Friend!” He placed your phone in your hand and when he walked out, you pressed play. You had started listening to audiobooks when hiking, mainly when it had been awhile since you had last seen a person. When you had gotten lonely and didn’t have anyone else to talk to. You kept your phone charged with a small solar powered charger, so you didn’t have to worry about anything other than keeping it dry.

The voice of the narrator began in your ears and you spaced out, your eyes fixated outside. Part of you wanted to sit outside, but you knew that it was way too hot and way too muggy outside. Better that you sit inside and enjoy the AC. 

A buzzing interrupted your book and you looked down. It was your mother. You declined the call, really not wanting to talk to her. Instead, you resumed your listening, slowly sinking into your mind that was quickly filled with a certain Lakewalker and a certain young woman. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! If you see any issues (I was drunk while writing half of this)   
> and I always appreciate comments and kudos <3


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